Posted on behalf of:
Jessica Rosner
Kino International
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Kino International is releasing CITY LOUVRE by Nicholas Philibert on
DVD for sale to institutions only ( Libraries , Universities, Museums,
etc ).
CITY LOUVRE (La Ville Louvre)
France. 1990. Color. 82min. French with English titles
Louvre City takes the form of one of the classic city symphonies of the
1920s, which begin at daybreak, end at nightfall, and chronicle the
lives of urban dwellers at work and at play.
The mighty Louvre, housed in a medieval castle, with its miles of
hallways and hundreds of employees, does seem like its own city-state in
this elegantly filmed documentary. Rather than focus on its familiar
role as a monument to high culture, director Nicolas Philibert (To Be
and to Have) shows us the everyday life of the museum and how it
operates. As workmen puzzle over how to move and unfold massive canvases
and medieval tapestries, African women joke about the fashion quotient
of their security guard uniforms. Maintenance staff play pétanque (a
French game similar to Bocce) in the Louvre's inner courtyards during
their break, while the kitchen staff prepares the food for the museum's
café. We see the painstaking process of art restoration and the research
involved in creating an exhibit. The class hierarchy reveals itself as
curators and their assistants argue over the placement of pictures,
while workmen wait patiently for a decision.
When Philibert finally allows the audience a moment to contemplate the
Louvre's most famous and familiar objects, Winged Victory or the Mona
Lisa, we see them not just as icons of aesthetic beauty, but objects
whose preservation requires a great deal of effort and labor. Far from
being didactic, Louvre City is a celebration of the ordinary processes
of work in an extraordinary setting.
--"The works of art, revealed in a new context, come alive as fragile
and exotic creatures captured in a web of human labor."
Leslie Camhi, New York Times
Winner Prix Europa 1990, Best Documentary of the Year
$295 including Public Performance Rights for non admission showings and
streaming rights on password protected systems for use by students in
enrolled in classes using the film.
Because this film is not part of regular home DVD collection it must
ordered from us directly by phone, fax, e mail or snail mail.
We are also preparing a mailing with some more detail; if you'd like a
copy of that, please send me an e-mail message.
Jessica Rosner
Kino International
333 W 39th St. 503
NY NY 10018
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212-629-6880
Fax 212-714-0871
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