French New Wave Classic SIX IN PARIS on OVID.tv
OVID is pleased to premiere and present exclusively in the United States, the restored version of the French New Wave’s classic omnibus film, Six in Paris (Paris vu par…).
And taking advantage of a capability in our platform, OVID is able to present Six in Paris in both its original feature-length version, and as the six separate short films which it consists of. We believe that this is the first time that these films may be watched individually in this way. Enjoy them as you like.
“Six in Paris might be its filmmakers at their happiest, shining freely in the hip, slick City of Light.”
The Austin Chronicle
A French New Wave Starter Pack, 1965’s Classic Six in Paris
Six in Paris encapsulates the excitement of the French New Wave with a collection of short films from masters of the movement: Claude Chabrol, Jean Douchet, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Daniel Pollet, Éric Rohmer, and Jean Rouch.
In 1965, the young producer Barbet Schroeder supplied a 16mm camera, along with color film stock, to six friends, asking each to make a short film about a particular Parisian neighborhood. The resulting films were shot quickly, with live sound, low budgets, and often improvised takes.
Each film unfurls a slice of Parisian life in gorgeous pastels, from a story of marital dissatisfaction in Rouch’s Gare du Nord (just recently named “one of the greatest short films ever” by The New Yorker’s Richard Brody) to Rohmer’s guilt-themed drama Place de l’Etoile, which benefits from the work of famed cinematographer Néstor Almendros. Chabrol stars in his own La Muette with his wife Stéphane Audran, as a couple whose son tries to tune-out their bickering, and in Godard’s bemused Montparnasse-Levallois, the American actress Joanna Shimkus mixes up her letters to two different lovers.
Whether you’re a long-time fan of films from the French New Wave or looking for an opportunity to dive in, this collection is for you.
Claude Chabrol’s La Muette (17 min)
Jean-Daniel Pollet’s Rue Saint Denis (12 min)
Jean Douchet’s Saint Germain des Prés (19 min)
Cinematography by Néstor Almendros
Jean-Luc Godard’s Montparnasse et Levallois (15 min)
Cinematography by Albert Maysles
Eric Rohmer’s Place de l’Étoile (16 min)
Cinematography by Néstor Almendros
Jean Rouch’s Gare du Nord (17 min)
“Rouch poses weighty challenges to the unquestioned routines of daily life; his small-scale film has the rich social, political, historical, and psychological implications of an epic feature.”
Richard brody, the new yorker