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<\/a>David Hornsby<\/a><\/strong>, Senior Lecturer in French, says:\nHow about Bienvenue chez les Ch\u2019tis<\/a><\/em> (Welcome to the sticks<\/em>)\u00a0France\u2019s biggest box-office film of all time (I think!)? It\u2019s funny, life-affirming and warm and it gives a great insight into regional variation \u2013 including language variation in France. Because, you never know, there might be a really good module on regional and social varieties of French you might want to take one day…<\/p>\n
<\/a>Tobias Heinrich<\/a><\/strong>, Lecturer in German, says:
\nWhat about Adalbert Stifter\u2019s novella Bergkristall<\/em> (Rock Crystal<\/em>, available in numerous English editions)? Set in the Austrian mountains, it is about two missing children and their rescue on Christmas Eve.<\/p>\nLucy O’Meara<\/a><\/strong>, Senior Lecturer in French, says:
\nIf you want a laugh you can’t go wrong with Call My Agent<\/em> (Netflix), a series about an actors’ agency involving all sorts of shenanigans as the agents try to keep their star clients (famous French actors playing themselves) happy.<\/p>\n<\/a>Rebecca Ogden<\/a><\/strong>, Lecturer in Latin American Studies, says:
\nSince the ‘Christmas movie’ doesn’t really exist in Latin American cinema, I would say that this is as good a time as any to watch the brilliant dark comedy Wild Tales <\/em>(Relatos salvajes<\/em>). It’s a Spanish-Argentine collaboration, and just one example of some of the many excellent films produced in the Spanish-speaking world.<\/p>\nAlexander Marlow-Mann<\/strong><\/a>, Lecturer in Italian, recommends:
\nAs we head into the dark, wintry months in a year marked by political turmoil, I am reminded of Nanni Moretti\u2019s affirmation that \u2018\u00e8 sempre il momento di fare una commedia\u2019. However, in Italy, the comedies that dominate cinema screens at Christmas tend to be rather crass and vulgar \u2013 the so so-called cinepanettoni, which I do not recommend. So here\u2019s a suggestion that, even if not set during the festive period, is nonetheless suffused with the human warmth and good spirits typically associated with the season: Silvio Soldini\u2019s Pane e tulipani<\/em> (Bread and Tulips, 2000). It is an incredibly charming and beautifully judged comedy centring on a middle-aged mother\u2019s search for personal growth and affirmation after her family accidentally forget her at a motorway service station during a family holiday. Buone feste!<\/p>\n<\/a>Mathilde Poizat-Amar<\/a><\/strong>, Lecturer in French, recommends:
\nTwo classic French comedies, both starring actors from the Splendid Company:
\nLes Bronz\u00e9s font du ski (French Fried Vacations 2<\/em>), Patrice Leconte, 1979.
\nLe P\u00e8re No\u00ebl est une ordure (Santa Claus is a Stinker<\/em>), Jean-Marie Poir\u00e9, 1982.
\nThey make me laugh every single time I watch them \u2013 they\u2019ll never get old!
\nAnd, Un conte de No\u00ebl (A Christmas tale<\/em>), Arnaud Desplechin, 2008, was the recipient of three Cesar prizes and explores the complexity of family relationships.<\/p>\n<\/a>Wissia Fiorucci<\/a><\/strong>, Lecturer in Italian, is actually hooked on French at the moment…
\nI’m watching The Bureau<\/em>\/Le Bureau des L\u00e9gendes<\/em> on Amazon Prime (French with English subtitles only). It’s a great TV show and very well made. I’d also strongly recommend 10 pourcent <\/em>(Call my agent<\/em>) which can be found on Netflix in French with French or English subtitles. They’re both set in Paris. As a learner of French myself I think these films are really cool!<\/p>\n<\/a>Ben Hutchinson<\/a><\/strong>, Professor of European Literature, has a simple recommendation:
\nHow about Nicholas Boyle’s Very Short Introduction to German literature <\/em>(OUP)? It’s cheap, brief, and highly instructive.<\/p>\n<\/a>William Rowlandson<\/a><\/strong>, Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, recommends:
\nThe film, \u00bfQu\u00e9 he hecho yo para merecer esto?<\/em> (What have I done to deserve this<\/em>) by Pedro Almod\u00f3var (1984). It has everything: the isolation of urban living in early 1980s Madrid, machista<\/em> culture, gay teenage boys, paedophilia, prostitution, corrupt police, a lizard called dinero<\/em>, amphetamines, heroin, punks, Hitler\u2019s forged diaries, murder with a jam\u00f3n<\/em> bone, and a telekinetic child\u2026<\/p>\n