14 Juillet ("Bastille Day", 1933)

Fireworks above, fireworks below! To celebrate Bastille Day, we're getting into the holiday spirit with a lighter-than-air romance from one of the early sound era's most underrated masters of whimsy. Join us as we discuss René Clair's musically-minded escapade of holiday flings, dramatic breakups, and the festive ambiance of the fête nationale...

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14 Juillet ("Bastille Day" or "Quatorze Juillet", 1933)
Dir. by René Clair
Available to stream on the Criterion Collection.
Also available here.

Love is in the air... or is it just confetti? Anna and Jean are practically destined to be together by the rules of the movies. She, a flower-vendor, and he, a scrappy cab-driver, live just opposite each other, and when they're not throwing coquettish glances at each other across the avenue, they're bumping into each other on the job. The quartier isn't that big after all. After a romantic liaison during the city's festive Bastille Day celebrations, it seems that their happily-ever-after is all-but assured... that is, until Jean's former flame, the vampish seductress Pola shows up unannounced to get her man back. Is the storybook romance strong enough to withstand the increasing bouts of bad luck and temptation that get in its way?

Jubilant, schmaltzy, and bursting with old-school rom-com charm, René Clair's festive romp through romantic melodrama is full of strange, lovable side characters and buoyed by the director's irrepressibly musical sensibilities. Let's talk about it!

*As a reminder, this is solely a movie discussion group - we encourage you to watch the film independently prior to coming to the meetings.