Lumière Classics

For 16 years, the Lumière festival has been supporting cinema of the past and present by honouring its history, its diversity and those who endeavour to preserve it.

The Lumière Classics label showcases the finest restorations of 20^th-century films, presented exclusively at the festival in the ‘New Restorations’ section, as well as under other festival categories. It highlights the vital work that archives, film libraries, rights holders and foundations undertake to ensure the continued vitality of the world’s cinematographic heritage.

Our thanks to Argentina Sono Film, Association Alain Tanner, CNC - Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image animée, Cineteca di Bologna, Di Factory, Estonian Film Institute, Filmoteca Española, Gaumont Distribution, Les Acacias, Slovak Film Institute, Malavida, Národní filmový archiv, Pathé, Shanghai Film Group, Sunu Films Production, Studio TF1, Studiocanal, Tamasa, Yugoslav Film Archive.

Screenings

New restorations/ Treasures & curiosities

With the support of  

Argentina
Beyond the Oblivion by Hugo del Carril (Más allá del olvido, 1956, 1h36)
Fernando’s young spouse dies. After a long bout of depression, he takes a trip to France, where he meets Mónica: the perfect lookalike of his late wife... A sensitive exploration of memory and forgetting, a timeless classic of Argentinean cinema.
Institut Lumière (Hangar) Thu16 9am | Pathé Bellecour Fri17 2pm

Bulgaria
The Peach Thief by Vulo Radev (Kradetzat na praskovi, 1964, 1h23)
During WWI, in a prisoner-of-war camp, a Serbian officer is caught stealing fruit by the wife of the Bulgarian commander... A finely calibrated production featuring impeccable cinematography and vibrant performances, the film marked a turning point in Bulgarian cinema.
Lumière Terreaux Wed15 11am | Institut Lumière (Villa) Thu16 4.30pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Thu16 4.45pm

China
Ashima by Liu Qiong (1964, 1h30)
When his beloved Ashima is kidnapped, Ahei, a simple shepherd, rushes to rescue her... This singing feature film, a veritable opera set against a rural backdrop, was branded ‘poisonous grass’ by the Maoist regime, which blocked its release for eight years.
Pathé Bellecour Tue14 2pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Wed15 9.30am | Institut Lumière (Villa) Wed15 9.45am

Spain
The Tenant by José Antonio Nieves Conde ( El inquilino, 1957, 1h48)
A destitute family must find a new apartment before their building is demolished. Despite its comedic tone, the film was a veiled critique of the housing crisis in Madrid, which did not please the Franco regime.
Institut Lumière (Villa) Thu16 6.30pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Thu16 6.45pm | Pathé Bellecour Fri17 11h

Estonia
The Ideal Landscape by Peeter Simm (Ideaalmaastik, 1980, 1h30)
Under Stalin, a Communist Party activist is tasked with overseeing the sowing of seeds on an Estonian communal farm. But the condition of the fields proves unsuitable... Ideology versus reality on the terrain, this film was nearly rejected by the regime.
Pathé Bellecour Mon13 7.15pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Tue14 2pm

France
La Guerre des gosses by Jacques Daroy (1936, 1h26, VFSTA)
Children from two rival villages wage a never-ending war... The first-ever version of Louis Pergault's War of the Buttons (La Guerre des boutons)!
Comœdia Tue14 10.45am | Institut Lumière (Villa) Fri17 9.15am

Deburau by Sacha Guitry (1951, 1h35, VFSTA)
The famous mime Deburau is triumphant at the theatre. He breaks up his marriage due to his interest in a certain Marie, who leaves him in the end. Bitter, he waits for his mistress to return... Guitry transposes his own play to the screen in a testament to the ravages of time.
Institut Lumière (Villa) Sun12 2pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Sun12 2.15pm | Pathé Bellecour Tue14 3.45pm | Institut Lumière (Hangar) Sat18 11.15am

Shadow and Light by Henri Calef (1951, 1h28)
Caroline notices that her lover Jacques seems to prefer her half-sister, Isabelle. But the former is willing to go to great lengths to win him back...The competition between sisters is expertly portrayed by the duo Maria Casarès and Simone Signoret.
Institut Lumière (Hangar) Tue14 11.30am  - Preceded by René Clément's Evasion (1935, 7min) | 
Pathé Bellecour Thu16 2.15pm 

The Secret Killer by Robert Hossein (1965, 1h30, int -12ans)
In 1930s Germany, Peter Kurten (Robert Hossein) kills young women, creating panic in the city... A harrowing thriller that probes the darkest shadows of the human soul.
UGC Confluence Tue14 9.45pm | UGC Confluence Wed15 2pm | Lumière Terreaux Sat18 4.30pm

Italiy
The Window to Luna Park by Luigi Comencini (La finestra sul luna Park, 1957, 1h30)
When his wife passes away, Aldo finds himself alone with his son, whom he did not help raise... Comencini explores the parent-child relationship with great psychological aptitude, foreshadowing Misunderstood (Incompreso (Vita col figlio)) that would follow a decade later. 
Institut Lumière (Hangar Sun12 2pm | Lumière Terreaux Mon13 11am | Comœdia Tue14 5.30pm 

Poland
Pharoah by Jerzy Kawalerowicz (Faraon, 1966, 2h32)
Ramses XIII, the idealistic heir to an empire in decline, wants to undertake sweeping changes, despite high priest Herhor not being keen on his plans... A colossal epic that never falls into kitsch, bringing ancient Egypt back to life.
Pathé Bellecour Wed15 7.30pm | UGC Astoria Thu16 2.30pm 

Czech Republic
Ecce Homo Homolka by Jaroslav Papousek (Ecce Homo Homolka, 1969, 1h23)
The Homolka family consists of three generations living under one roof. One summer Sunday, which promised to be bucolic and idyllic, takes a turn for the worse... A comedy full of satire that pokes fun at the inadequacies of an average family in Prague. Charming!
Comœdia Thu16 2pm | Institut Lumière Sat18 9.15am

Senegal
Njangaan by Mahama Johnson Traoré (1975, 1h27)
At just six years old, Mame flees the daara, a Koranic school run by a marabout where pupils cannot learn but are forced to beg and work. This daring œuvre powerfully touches on a phenomenon still relevant today: that of talibés or children placed in Koranic schools.
Pathé Bellecour Mon13 5.15pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Wed15 11.30am | Institut Lumière (Villa) Wed15 11.45am

Slovakia
The Bells Toll for the Barefooted by Stanislav Barabás (Zvony pre bosych, 1965, 1h36)
During WWII, a pair of Slovak partisans and a German soldier they have saved cross the snow-covered mountains... A film about co-existing and the value of human life. Sombre, committed and poetic.
Institut Lumière (Villa) Fri17 2.15pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Fri17 2.30pm | Lumière Terreaux Sat18 11am

Switzerland
The Middle of the World by Alain Tanner (1974, 1h57, VFSTA, int -12ans)
Paul, an ambitious engineer, decides to enter the realm of politics. During an electoral speech, he meets Adriana, a waitress who has recently emigrated from Italy... The story of a passionate love affair ‘in the middle of the world’ by the leading figure of the Swiss cinema revival.
Institut Lumière (Villa) Tue14 7pm | Institut Lumière (Villa) Tue14 7.15pm | Lumière Terreaux Wed15 2.30pm

Other films bearing the Lumière Classics label