Every month in France-Amérique, discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States.
Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States • Authors’ perspectives on America • Portraits of artists, entrepreneurs, and other French-American personalities • The best of Francophone literature translated into English • French movies and series in theaters and online • French habits and linguistic subtleties • Unique places to visit in France • And so much more…
October 2020
The Wine Issue
In this wine issue, find out how the natural wine movement arrived in the United States and visit the French wineries who hired celebrity architects – Jean Nouvel, Christian de Portzamparc, Jean-Michel Wilmotte – to design their cellars in an effort to entice a new clientele. You can also read our interview with film and media studies professor Malcolm Turvey about the comedic genius of French director Jacques Tati, discover the multifaceted career of designer Pierre Cardin, and meet Eugene McCown, the handsome American who took 1920s Paris by storm!
Featured Articles
IDEAS
JACQUES TATI
“He Sought to Modernize Comedy by Democratizing It”
French director Jacques Tati is France’s answer to Charlie Chaplin. He enjoyed widespread acclaim in France and the United States, where he won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1959 for My Uncle, a satiric take on contemporary society in the grips of newfound modernity and Americanization. Malcolm Turvey is a professor of film and media studies at Tufts University in Massachusetts and has had a lifelong admiration for the filmmaker, who is the subject of his most recent book, Play Time: Jacques Tati and Comedic Modernism.
By Guy Sorman
LIFESTYLE
THE “CELLAR UNDER THE HILL”
Celebrity architect Christian de Portzamparc has created a cutting-edge building to showcase exceptional wine at the Château Cheval Blanc estate near Bordeaux. Other leading designers have also turned their hands to French vineyards, commissioned by wineries hoping to attract more visitors.
CULTURE
PIERRE CARDIN
The Countless Lives of a Couturier
He dressed Naomi Campbell and Sharon Stone, designed the interior of a famous American sports car, stepped into Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit, and posed bare-chested on the cover of Time. Pierre Cardin, the all-rounder, was the subject of a remarkable exhibition of his fashion creations at the Brooklyn Museum last year, and is now the focus of a U.S. documentary, House of Cardin, available on demand.
CULTURE
EUGENE McCOWN
The Rogue of the Roaring Twenties
Thirty dollars. That is all Eugene McCown had in his pocket when he arrived in France in July 1921. Nevertheless, the young, Missouri-born American felt he was set for a bright future. He was just 23, a wildly talented musician and artist, and through the eyes of others, he discovered that he was incredibly handsome.
By Jérôme Kagan
Table of contents
NEWS
Bas les Masques ! The Anti-Mask Movement in France. By Anthony Bulger
STAY IN
Feeding the Muse: The Best Cookbooks for Francophiles. By Tracy Kendrick
IDEAS
Editorial: A Racial Election. By Guy Sorman
Malcolm Turvey: “Jacques Tati Sought to Modernize Comedy by Democratizing It.” By Guy Sorman
Three Questions for Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal. By Guénola Pellen
FASHION
The Gentleman’s Style : La chemise sous toutes ses coutures. Par Julien Scavini
LIFESTYLE
Demystifying Natural Wine. By Martin Gelin
The “Cellar Under the Hill.” By Jean-Gabriel Fredet
BON APPETIT
Recipe of the Month: Scalloped Potato Gratin. By Melissa Clark
Wine Pairing. By Nicolas Blanc
CULTURE
The Countless Lives of Pierre Cardin. By Clément Thiery
Eugene McCown: The Rogue of the Roaring Twenties. By Jérôme Kagan
Eric Vuillard: Giving a Voice to Public Wrath. By Sophie Joubert
LANGUAGE
The Observer: The Politics of Pronunciation. By Anthony Bulger
The Wordsmith: A la recherche du mot perdu. By Dominique Mataillet
UNKNOWN FRANCE
Saint-Honorat: A “Prayer Bead” in the Ocean. By Gabriel Bertrand
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