Pierre Etaix in Philadelphia
Tomorrow, the International House Philadelphia salutes French actor-director Pierre Etaix with a double dose of his unique brand of physical comedy. The screening kicks off with As Long as You’ve Got Your Health (1966), a compendium of four hilarious vignettes that capture the chaos of daily life in the sixties. Next up is Etaix’s personal favorite among his films, Yoyo (1965), an ode to circus life that centers on a wealthy man who loses his fortune and finds success in his new career as a clown. Cowritten by Jean-Claude Carrière, both films showcase a period in the director’s work when his stylistic approach was becoming increasingly experimental. For a closer look at this underappreciated comedic genius, who passed away last October, watch critic David Cairns’s in-depth analysis of an iconic scene in 1969’s Le grand amour.
