It is such a happy occasion. Two families of American high society
are united in a spirit of warmth and good will at a wedding that could not
have been more impeccably performed. The whole event appears to have
been stage-managed with expert precision. There is not a blemish anywhere.
Nothing but smiles and sunshine. The family doctor has exercised great
tact in keeping the death of the grandmother of one of happy spouses to himself.
This would not of course have spoiled the occasion but it would certainly
have put a damper on it. But not everyone is taken in by the illusion.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the tasteful gift wrapping starts to peel off,
revealing something not quite so pleasant beneath...
Franz Kafka's letters to his fiancée Felice Bauer not only reveal a soul in torment; they also give us a harrowing self-portrait of a man appalled by his own existence.
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
Continental Films, quality cinema under the Nazi Occupation
At the time of the Nazi Occupation of France during WWII, the German-run company Continental produced some of the finest films made in France in the 1940s.