Un Point c'est tout

✒️ “The Stranger” by Albert Camus is one of the most widely read books in the world to learn French. With a simple and refined style, in Algeria in the 1940s, it explores the human condition through the main character, Meursault, detached from social norms. This story, which mixes literature, sociology and philosophy, was later adapted for cinema and graphic novel. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episode: Le Petit Prince (https://youtu.be/Q1m3BWNEIZ4)

☂️ Surrealism, an artistic and intellectual movement born after the First World War, revolutionized art by exploring the unconscious and dreams. Artists such as André Breton, Salvador Dalí and René Magritte sought to free the imagination from rational constraints. How did this movement transform our vision of reality? Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episodes: Marc Chagall (https://youtu.be/kaoFq3WgII0), Pablo Picasso (https://youtu.be/jjaD41zMt7w)

☂️ Ready to dive into the magical world of Catherine Deneuve's films? After six decades of magic (and still active), she is undoubtedly one of the top icons of French cinema. She constantly raised the bar of quality with such films as the musicals of Jacques Demy (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “The Young Girls of Rochefort”), or François Truffaut's “The Last Metro.” Lights, camera, conversation! Join this week's sessions on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episodes: la Nouvelle Vague (https://youtu.be/_wNBkj46Tg4), Gérard Depardieu (https://youtu.be/dB1tt944qi0), Agnès Varda (https://youtu.be/rU1sxx23W6I), Brigitte Bardot (https://youtu.be/HISlNTszfOM)

⟁ Very few topics manage to combine so many interesting areas. With the Louvre, more than eight centuries of history, arts, architecture, power and politics are contained in this unique place listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It started as a defense castle, became the royal residence, then a cultural center and finally the museum you (may/certainly) have heard of. Join this week's conversations on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episodes: Mona Lisa (https://youtu.be/ACrmINfDquQ), Versailles (https://youtu.be/lMk8wOLSXwo), l'Académie française (https://youtu.be/1RU75-ufcsc), le Radeau de la Méduse (https://youtu.be/n6K2PGT0e4U)

✍️ With masterpieces like “A Barrage Against the Pacific” and “The Lover,” Marguerite Duras made an essential name in 20th-century French literature. By recounting with great sensuality her personal and romantic experiences in French Indochina, she became one of the founders of the “Nouveau Roman” style which has indelibly influenced contemporary literature. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episodes: Léopold Sédar Senghor (https://youtu.be/w-jrpidCVLQ), Agnès Varda (https://youtu.be/rU1sxx23W6I)

⚔️ Burgundy in the 15th century, duchy of all excess, luxury and ostentation. Main trading center of north-west Europe and home of the Flemish primitives. Today a fraction of the territory it once occupied, its history and its cultural, material and gastronomic riches have left an essential legacy in modern Europe. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episodes: Jeanne d'Arc (https://youtu.be/-tGpao-Azis), Clovis Ier (https://youtu.be/OMaNZKJvWIU), les Époux Arnolfini (https://youtu.be/k3NMl1RR6QI)

❓In this episode, the Beginner will learn how to ask questions, and the Advanced will wonder why asking questions? From the simplest to the most complex, all questions are worth asking. In many cases, they can even be much more interesting than the answers. And after all, aren't they the catalyst of every good conversation? Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

⚔️ Following the release of the new film "The Three Musketeers: d'Artagnan", and the anniversary of the death of the real d'Artagnan on June 25, 1673, here is an episode on the world-famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. But before we start, why did Dumas call it "Les trois Mousquetaires"? Aren't they four? Well, it seems that Dumas thought this confusion would benefit the sales of his book. I guess we can't deny that it worked out pretty well. (Subtitles are available in French and English by clicking on the CC button on the YouTube control bar). Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related episode: le cardinal de Richelieu (https://youtu.be/bPcnCIQnB4Y)

⛪️ The Cardinal Duke of Richelieu, chief minister of Louis XIII, aka the Red Eminence, was made infamous by Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel "The Three Musketeers". Plotting against the Queen of France, he is portrayed as a Machiavellian character, ready to go to any length to achieve his personal goals. Even though his toughness seems to be historically accurate, the Cardinal wasn't really driven by evil. Instead, his rigorous approach to politics and diplomacy, which inspired Dumas so well, was seemingly only motivated by national interest… What is your opinion? Related episodes: Académie française (https://youtu.be/1RU75-ufcsc), lingua franca (https://youtu.be/cT3DLqjG9GA)

☀️ This name, Brigitte Bardot, is much more than a person. Like Marylin Monroe or Marlon Brando, it's become a myth, the BB myth. Icon of a generation of young people in search of freedom: in cinema, along the French New Wave (i.e.: Godard's "Le Mépris"), in music, with artists/partners such as Serge Gainsbourg, in fashion, etc… Using her brand, she later became the leading figure in animal welfare to this day. A biopic is in preparation. Join the conversation about BB this week, or about "Le Mépris" on March 23rd, 2023: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com Related videos: French New Wave, Serge Gainsbourg, French Riviera, Champagne, Colette