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French Film Festival: The Edge Of The Blade

4 April 20256 March 2024 Rebecca Yeo

Ooh la la—it’s time for the 35th Annual French Film Festival. This year’s festival runs from 5 March to early to mid-April, depending on where you live. So, stock up on your favourite French treats, French Fries, Croissants, Baguettes and Escargot, and get into the spirit of this film festival. I was lucky to start the festival with a French Musketeer-flavoured film, “The Edge of the Blade.”

Set in Paris in 1887, The Edge of the Blade (French: Une affaire d’honneur) explores a world where duels have been officially outlawed but continue to be a regular practice as the only possible way to defend one’s honour.

Clement Lacaze, a fencing expert, desperately tries to prevent his nephew from engaging in an uneven duel with more experienced Colonel Berchere. Meanwhile, Marie-Rose Astie de Valsayre, a feminist fighting for women’s equality, challenges the notion that honour is solely a male affair. The movie effectively portrays various forms of duels, making it a highly conceivable experience.

The Edge of the Blade is Vincent Perez’s fourth feature, and he acts as both director and actor in his latest flick. Perez plays the film’s antagonist, Colonel Berchere, who defends his honour by duelling the main antagonist, Clement Lacaze (played by Roschdy Zem), and his nephew, Adrien Lacaze (played by Noham Edje). Doria Tiller appears as real-life feminist Marie-Rose Astie de Valsayre. Although interesting, seeing her life story depicted in her own movie would be additionally pleasing.

The Edge of the Blade is a fascinating look into a part of history that is uncommon today. It delves into the craze of duels and themes of honour and justice. The film also displays a backdrop of impending war and societal changes. Fight scenes are skillfully choreographed, and the production design adds to the film’s historical authenticity.

The Edge of the Blade captures the tension of a bygone era, where honour, pride, and equality intersect. Vincent Perez’s direction and acting contribute to a film that balances action, drama, and historical context. If you appreciate period pieces and enjoy a touch of swashbuckling adventure, this film is worth exploring.

Don’t go at a snail’s pace—check out The Edge of the Blade at this year’s Alliance Francaise French Film Festival before time runs out in April. Films and film session details are on the official French Film Festival website.

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Cabaret De Paris

4 April 20252 March 2024 Karen Yee

Seven Moulin Rouge trained showgirls in sparkly sequinned skimpy bikini outfits, balanced by feather headdresses and boas and in impossibly high heels accentuating their very long legs, flanked by two athletic male dancers who finally take off their shirts in the last number.

This ensemble of highly skilled and sexy dancers are the heart and soul of the Cabaret de Paris: A Burlesque Extravaganza, produced by Michael Boyd and choreographed by Todd Partrick and Matt Browning. But Rhonda Burchmore, veteran cabaret entertainer, is the major drawcard for this Parisian-styled revue.

This show has been kicking around since at least 2016. This post-COVID version of the show keeps the same format but with a few new numbers and some personnel changes, including Rhonda as the new leading lady.

It’s a very portable show, doing three shows in 2 days at iconic theatres across Australia since last year. This explains the minimalist set design and recorded music rather than live musicians. Instead, the $250,000 worth of lavish costumes were a feast for the eyes and brought the era of French cabaret a la Lido and the Moulin Rouge to life.

Musically, there was a lot of variety – from upbeat bass-heavy electronic dance music (Parlez Vous Francais) to jazz big band more traditional ballads evoking old-school Paris (think bandoneon).

The can-can mashup was an example of this in one number – from a modern dance rhythm version, Voulez-Vous, to a 1950 adaptation of Can-Can Polka with kitschy lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy to the original whirling dervish Galop from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. The choreography of this number was particularly engaging, with the mix of modern and traditional styles and the oh-so high kicks!

I was absolutely drawn into Michael Boyd’s magic of illusion and was riveted to watching Veronica on the pole and on the floor for her contortion act. Similarly, the short acrobatic act of the male dancers and the intense adagio style pas de deux (acrobatic dance duo featuring high lift poses) were breathtaking. However, Rhonda Burchmore provided the substance of the show with her solid singing chops and personal stories.

Rhonda is celebrating 42 years in showbiz, and I was reminded of Tina Turner, who also flaunted her legs on stage well into her mature years. She looked wonderful in the gorgeous gowns and even entertained us with a very discreet strip tease, assisted by her charming male assistants, culminating in a dramatic costume change.

However, the price of wearing the stilettos that go with such ballgowns is very painful bunions, as she admitted when she rushed to sit down. Most of us ladies are now relishing the current fashion trend of wearing sensible shoes with just about anything.

I would love to see a version of this show where Rhonda gets to wear Hoka One Ones with the sumptuous evening dresses. After all, she’s six foot one “and worth the climb” – she doesn’t need the extra height.

Alas, the Cabaret De Paris was showing only for this weekend, but keep an eye out for this troupe of performers as new show dates are coming soon.

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Riders – Europa Festival Film Review

4 April 202517 February 2024 Davros Dark

The Europa Film Festival is in full swing in Melbourne and Sydney, offering me the perfect opportunity to review the Australian Premiere of Slovenia’s Riders.

Directed by Dominik Mencej, Riders was Slovenia’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Academy Award and this, its Australian premiere, forms part of the Europa Europa film festival running from Feb 15th to Mar 11th.

Set in the spring of 1999 in Slovenia, the film follows two friends from a small village. Inspired by their love of Easy Rider, they travel cross-country on their souped-up mopeds. Anton (Petja Labovic) is seemingly on a quest for his ex-girlfriend, and Tomaz (Timon Sturbej) is seeking truth and acceptance. They are joined along the way by the enigmatic Ana (Anja Novak), who is trying to travel cross-country for reasons of her own, and elder bikie Peter (Nikola Kojo), a father figure and older version of Anton.

The performances are nuanced and authentic, with Tomaz and Anton sharing equal billing in their journey. Tomaz, with his gentle demeanour and unwavering loyalty, becomes the unsung hero of the journey, while Anton’s fiery spirit and impulsive actions add a layer of unpredictability. With her mysterious allure, Ana redirects their path towards the seaside, a twist that enriches their voyage. The initially tense relationship between Anton and Peter evolves into a believable mentor-protege bond, adding another layer of emotional depth to the story.

Mencej masterfully controls the film’s pacing, allowing audiences ample time to engage with each character’s development and the group’s interpersonal dynamics. This deliberate storytelling showcases the complexity of their personalities and mirrors their internal quests for identity and belonging.

At its heart, “Riders” is a meditation on the search for self, brilliantly symbolized by the protagonists’ journey across Slovenia. Is there any better way to do this than to jump on your motorbike and journey across the country?

We glimpse love, jealousy, anger, tragedy, a hint of romance, and redemption of a kind that culminates in a conclusion that satisfies but remains open-ended at the same time, inviting us to ponder the characters’ futures.

This is an excellent film with a simple premise about the ever-elusive quest for truth, portrayed with depth and authenticity.

This film gives us a small snapshot into another time and another country far removed from Australia but remains timeless in terms of the human experience. We’ve all had our seminal moments, and this film encourages us to reflect on our own journey, the personal truths we’ve uncovered along the way, and ponder those that still remain hidden from our view.

I wholeheartedly recommend “Riders” to anyone attending the Europa Film Festival.

For Sydneysiders, this film can be viewed at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick on the 18/2 and 3/3 at 5:15pm.

For Melbournites, this film can be viewed at Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick, on 18/2, 29/2 and 8/3 from 5:15pm.

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The Wharf Review – Pride in Prejudice

4 April 202515 February 2024 Kat Skarbek

Being a Pom, if I had seen this production advertised, I would honestly have said, “No, not for me.” I’m not interested in politics beyond the important issues, and Australian political satire is definitely not my usual wheelhouse. That said, I’m so glad I got the opportunity to see this show. I was surprised and genuinely entertained by The Wharf Revue’s pith and wonderful wit in their latest production, ‘Pride in Prejudice’.

The company romped energetically through two hours packed with songs and skits, all ripe with intelligent social commentary and a keen eye for the ridiculous. Despite the occasional slip into some Benny Hill-esque style humour, they provoked and delighted in equal measure, calling out both the hypocrisy and the difficulties of our current political landscape.

They deftly illuminated the prejudices we still unconsciously carry, many of which are a hangover from our colonial days. Poking gleefully at the beasts that are Australian ‘bloke’ culture, climate change, racism, the ‘Yes’ vote, sexism, inequality and many well-known government representatives in all of their ever-changing and inconsistent glory, the show was blunt, pithy and very funny. Not even Biden, Putin or the Royal Family were safe.

The cast shone, seamlessly shifting from one political player to the next, with an uncanny ability to truly bring their subjects to life. A confused elderly Joe Biden was a gem in this respect, but I would like to give a real shout out to Mandy Bishop, whose diverse vocals and comedic talent were a delight throughout but especially in the Jazzy ‘Toughen Up & Fly Right’ where she sings about the vagaries of life as Peter Dutton’s deputy, Sussan Ley.

The whole show was brilliant, but highlights would have to be Trump (played by the fabulous Jonathon Biggs) and Giuliani on the run from a chain gang, during which Trump whips out a ukulele and sings a gem of a song, ‘In the Land of Mar-a-Lago’, about Trump’s magical resort created for important people like them, in all of their misogynistic, narcissistic and ruthless beauty, which was a big hit with the crowd and made me laugh out loud.

I also cannot go past the tender song about the outcome of the recent Indigenous ‘Yes’ vote, which was lyrically poignant and movingly delivered to a slowed-down reworking of ‘Bad Moon Rising,’ and which proved that the Revue has an enormous heart as well as biting wit.

In the olden days, the role of the court jester was to highlight the folly of those in power, and every member of the Wharf Revue skilfully did this with punchy, no-holds-barred humour.

So, even if you are politically more slacktivist than an activist, go see it! Unlike Albanese, whose election promises have now been downgraded to ‘more of a values statement’, I promise you you’ll get great value from this show.

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