
L’Alliance Recommends: A French Music Legend, a Fascinating Read, and a Foodie Film
Since the lazy, hazy days of été are in full swing, we thought we’d share some of our favorite entertainment finds for you to indulge in poolside or on the couch after a long day at the beach. From a deep dive into the back catalogue of an iconic singer to a propulsive political thriller novel to a cuisine-filled romance movie, these petit indulgences will be a fresh breeze on even the most scorching late summer day.
French Music: Françoise Hardy
France lost a major cultural icon on June 11 when beloved singer, songwriter, and actress Françoise Hardy passed away at age 80. The Paris-born musician burst onto the scene in 1962 with her hit song “Tous les garçons et les filles,” and rose to fame through the 1960s and 1970s, working with greats like Serge Gainsbourg and Catherine Lara. She released albums all the way into the 2010s, and is one of France’s highest-selling singers. Hardy was massively influential in multiple spheres—from French pop music to fashion (she was the muse of greats including Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne) to film (including roles in Jean-Luc Godard’s Masculin féminin and John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix).
For all her flashy success, Hardy was quite shy and disinterested in the trappings of fame—which was reflected in her signature musical style. She was known as the queen of melancholy French music, and her simple lyrics-driven songs pulled influences from folk and rock, with an emphasis on loneliness and heartbreak. If you’re not sure where to start, press play on “Le temps de l’amour”—yep, now you know who she is! While you’re there, go ahead and listen to the album that song is on, 1962’s “Tous les garçons et les filles”—it remains a classic, and one of Hardy’s best. Move chronologically through her 1960s albums and you’ll have a very clear idea of why she’s one of France’s most popular and esteemed musicians.
French Novel: The Wizard of the Kremlin (Le mage du Kremlin)
Giuliano da Empoli—author, political scientist, and ex-senior advisor to Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi—has written 12 nonfiction books centered on politics and economics, so it’s only natural that his first novel, released in French in April 2022 and English in November 2023, weaves in similar themes. And he knocked his fiction debut out of the park—The Wizard of the Kremlin won the Grand Prix du Roman, was a Goncourt Prize finalist, and has been translated into over thirty languages. The Guardian calls it “Gripping…an extraordinary story,” Kirkus says it’s “an epic monologue,” and it was named a Best Book of the Year by the Financial Times and Bloomberg.
Told in a confessional style, the namesake character Vadim “Wizard of the Kremlin” Baranov is a former political advisor to Vladimir Putin who spills all the juicy details about his time in the Russian state, the secrets he swept into the shadows, and how his own family history helped him escape the Kremlin’s hold. What makes this book so riveting is that da Empoli draws on his own experience behind the political scenes to create a fictionalized yet highly believable portrait of how absolute power corrupts. Baranov is influenced by real-life Russian politician Vladislav Surkov, known as Putin’s “man in the shadows”—and those familiar with Russian history will recognize a few other thinly-veiled characters, as well. The critically-acclaimed book is so popular that it’s being adapted into a film by lauded French director Olivier Assayas.
French Film: The Taste of Things (Le Festin de Dodin Bouffant)
This epicurean delight is set in 1889 France and follows the unfolding romance of deeply talented cook Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) and Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel), the respected chef she’s worked with for two decades at his country estate. We’re betting you’re already sold based on the leads alone, but the star power is a mere apéritif compared to the rich banquet that is this 2023 film release, which won Trần Ahn Hùng the Best Director award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and competed as the French entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Despite their personal and professional rapport, Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin—so he takes the plunge and does something vulnerable: he cooks her a multi-course meal to convince her of his devotion. The film is a gourmand’s dream, capturing the meditative and intricate rhythms of kitchen prep, celebrating the passion of choosing and pairing ingredients, and focusing on complex dishes with a besotted gaze. At its heart, it’s a story about food as a love language, and how creativity can free us and help us express what words cannot. And, as if we need to sweeten things further, the movie takes on an even deeper meaning when you know that Binoche and Magimel were real-life partners for five years.
For more entertainment delights à la française, follow L’Alliance New York’s monthly CinéSalon series programming for the best of Francophone and French films, search our library catalog or check out these librarian-curated picks to find your next favorite French novel, and discover new streaming French music in our Culturetèque Digital Library.
Categories: Arts & Culture, Literature, Pop Culture, Recommendations