Ladies’ Delight
(Au Bonheur des Dames)
摩登婦女樂園

Synopsis
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Adapted from French naturalist novelist Emile Zola’s 1883 eponymous novel and transposed into 1920s Paris, Duvivier’s 1930 silent film Au Bonheur des Dames ( Ladies’ Delight) at once pits grand department store against petite boutique and portrays the passion for progress and its attendant pain and destruction. The orphaned Denise Baudu (Dita Parlo) arrives in Paris for the first time in hopes of being hired by her uncle Baudu. But old Baudu’s failing family-run shop is the last one in the neighborhood putting up a fight against the aggressive and alluring department store Au Bonheur des Dames across the street. Denise Baudu is employed as a model in the emporium and her boss Octave Mouret (Pierre de Guingand) develops a love interest in her. Meanwhile, old Baudu’s daughter is deserted by her fiancé, the apprentice in the boutique, for a seductive model working in the department store.

電影簡介
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Duvivier 1930年的默片《摩登婦女樂園》改編自法國自然主義小說家左拉1883年同名小說，時代則搬到了1920年代的巴黎。當中小商家無力對抗大百貨公司競爭，激情謀求「進步」帶來的痛苦與毀滅，都可供今日香港借鏡。孤女Denise Baudu（Dita Parlo）到巴黎投靠叔父Baudu，但叔父家庭經營的毛料店不敵對面誘人的「摩登婦女樂園」百貨公司競爭即將倒閉。Denise不得已應徵「摩登婦女樂園」服裝模特兒，老闆Octave Mouret（Pierre de Guingand）很喜歡她。同時，叔父的女兒被未婚夫拋棄，未婚夫原是毛料店學徒，卻鬼迷心竅愛上百貨公司另一位模特兒。

Live Music by Octuor de France
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A Cine-Concert combines the silent film with musicians that play (the soundtrack) live in front of the audience.

現場奏樂
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電影音樂會由樂手現場奏樂，配合影片放映，使默片無聲變有聲

The Director : Julien Duvivier
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Born in France in 1896, Duvivier was a stage actor and then the production assistant on André Antoine’s films before starting a career as a director in 1919. After twenty silent movies, he attained international recognition in the 1930’s with movies that have become classic tales of poetic realism.

導演 朱利安·杜威維埃
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朱利安·杜威維埃，1896年出生於法國。當導演前，曾是舞台劇演員，並擔任André·Antoine的電影製作助理。1919年開始任職導演， 拍了20部默片，然後於三十年代以多部「詩意寫實主義」經典電影，深受國際觸目。

The Octuor de France
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Formed in 1979 by clarinet player Jean-Louis Sajot, the Octuor de France is currently the only permanent French ensemble of its kind. It participates in the renewal of silent movies by presenting “projections concerts”, with specifically written music.

The scores are played live in total synchronization with silent cinema masterpieces. The Octuor de France has played at the Cannes International Film Festival and in major film festivals around the globe.

法國八重奏樂團
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1979年由單簧管名家尚-路易·沙左特創立，目前是法國同類樂團中唯一永久的樂團，以發掘罕見曲目和推廣現代音樂著稱。他們灌錄的舒伯特《F大調八重奏》，曾獲法國權威《音叉》雜誌給予《五支音叉》最高評價。他們又特別舉辦「電影放映音樂會」，為經典默片譜寫音樂，然後現場伴奏，與之融合無間，推動了默片復興。樂團曾在康城電影節及世界各大電影節演奏。

The Composer: Gabriel Thibaudeau
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Born in 1959 the canadian composer, pianist and conductor Gabriel Thibaudeau studied piano in Montreal at the Vincent D'Indy music school and composition at L'Université de Montréal. He has been pianist for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, appointed pianist at La Cinémathèque Québécoise for the last 25 years and is composer in residence with L'Octuor de France for more than 15 years. Thibaudeau's work is including music for the ballet, the opera, chamber music and several orchestral compositions for silent films. Several international institutions have commissioned him works, among them: Le Musée du Louvres in Paris, the Cineteca di Bologna, Le Festival de Cannes, the National Gallery in Washington, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.