Go West!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 20 November 2021 > What's On

We’re all used to disclaimers at the end of movies saying, “This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.” The new Netflix twist on a western, The Harder They Fall, turns that on its head, opening the film with the disclaimer, “While the … Continue reading “Go West!”

Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine 2021 to Joyce Maynard!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 19 November 2021 > What's On

Joyce Maynard has been awarded The Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine 2021 for “Où vivaient les gens heureux” (“Count the Ways ”), published in France, on August 19, 2021 by Philippe Rey in a translation by Florence Lévy-Paoloni. Created in 2015 by Francis Geffard, bookseller, publisher and also founder of the America Festival, this Grand … Continue reading “Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine 2021 to Joyce Maynard!”

Sur la piste des Sioux : the origins of “American Indian” iconography 

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 18 November 2021 > What's On

The exhibition “Sur la piste des Sioux” which opened at the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, takes us back to the origins of the limited and blinkered representation of the “American Indian” in Europe and France, and challenges many clichés .   Since 1990, November is Native American Heritage Month, here is the good time to … Continue reading “Sur la piste des Sioux : the origins of “American Indian” iconography “

“West Side Story” is Back!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 18 November 2021 > What's On

West Side Story – the stage musical and the film – is already a classic. Steven Spielberg wants to make it a more authentic classic for the 21st century. After many delays due to COVID, it’s finally arriving in cinemas. The Bernstein-Sondheim musical was an immediate hit on Broadway in 1957. When Robert Wise adapted … Continue reading ““West Side Story” is Back!”

A South African Author Wins the 2021 Booker Prize

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 04 November 2021 > What's On

Damon Galgut had been shortlisted twice before but 2021 was third time lucky. His novel The Promise mixes the history of a family and his country over four decades. The titular promise shows up power, class and racial divisions in South Africa. Galgut, who was born in 1963, explicitly connects the novel to the political … Continue reading “A South African Author Wins the 2021 Booker Prize”

Eternals: A Team is Born

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 04 November 2021 > What's On

The expanse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is about to get much wider with the arrival of Eternals, whose storyline will span thousands of years. Directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), Eternals is visually distinct from many other Marvel films and Zhao’s soft touch has elevated the film beyond what is traditionally expected of superhero … Continue reading “Eternals: A Team is Born”

Photographing the Modern

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 03 November 2021 > What's On

The interwar period was a highly creative time for the relatively young art of photography. An exhibition at the Jeu de Paume in Paris features an extraordinary collection of photographs from New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Some 230 photographs from the Thomas Walther collection, acquired over the last 20 years, give an overview of … Continue reading “Photographing the Modern”

Love Letter to France

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 26 October 2021 > What's On

Wes Anderson’s latest film The French Dispatch is a homage both to his adopted country and to the amazing writers nurtured by The New Yorker magazine, of which Anderson is an avid reader. As with his earlier films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, he has assembled an amazing cast. The conceit of … Continue reading “Love Letter to France”