Vivement dimanche

Questions (comprehension, culture, vocabulary)

1. This was the director's last film. Who was he, and what other films had he made?

2. This is an cinematic performance in the career of Fanny Ardant. What other films has she been in?

3. This film contains several "remakes" of famous scenes from movies by Alfred Hitchcock. The director of this film actually made it known that this was an homage to Hitchcock. See if you can identify some of these scenes.

4. How do the police officers and the police inspector address people? Do they use tu or vous? How does the secretary (Barbara) address her boss? Is this always the case throughout the movie? What about the second-person pronouns that the boss (Monsieur Vercel) uses when he speaks to Barbara. Pay special attention to the scene near the end of the movie where they decide to become intimate. You might notice some differences before the light goes out and after it comes back on.

5. When Barbara is at the hôtel Garibaldi, references are made to hotels rooms with the definite article/determiner la. Why does the clerk use "la" in the expression "la 813" instead of "le" or "les"? What are some other examples of this in French? For example, do French speakers use "le" or "la" (or "un" or "une") if they're taking about a Rolex?

6. Although in English, a nightclub has "club" as part of the noun, it's slightly different in French. What is the expression and the literal translation of the French equivalent of nightclub? In this film, L'Ange rouge is an important club. What is the translation of the name of this club?

7. Where does Barbara park the car that she drives to Nice?

8. Near the end of the movie, when and why does Barbara use tu when speaking to the police inspector?

9. In the second transcribed scene, do Barbara and Monsieur Vercel use ne along with second negative particles (such as pas, rien, etc.)? What about in the other transcribed scenes or other exchanges between people in this film? Are there some people who use ne in some contexts but not in others?