Director Zoe Cassavetes Weaves a Debauched Love Triangle to the Beats of the French DJ Duo
Zoe Cassavetes’ narrative romp for the infectious track “Paris” by Scratch Massive casts Cécile Cassel, Louis-Marie de Castelbajac and Charles Derenne as three young friends who, fueled by red wine, pearls and lust, romantically unravel in an apartment on the Canal St. Martin. Comprised of DJs Sebastien Chenut, who is married to Cassavetes, and Maud Geffray, Scratch Massive are known for their dark, melodic electronic music and film scores for Cassavetes (Broken English, 2007), Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball, 2005) and Yolande Zauberman (Would You Have Sex With An Arab?, 2011). For “Paris”, taken from their latest album Nuit de Rêve, they teamed up with Icelandic singer Daníel Ágúst of GusGus. The narrative short is the latest collaboration between the band and Cassavetes, beginning with her interpretation of their single "Like You Said" in 2007. This time around, Cassavetes wanted to make “a 1970s style movie trailer” and took cues from Looking For Mr. Goodbar and American Gigolo. The film’s most prominent influence, however, is the director’s adopted hometown. “This is not the typical tourist version we see in every movie about the city,” she says. “We shot where I really feel it is my Paris.”
Scratch Massive and Zoe Cassavetes Map Out Their Hometown Neighborhood Haunts
French DJ team Sebastien Chenut and Maud Geffray, aka Scratch Massive, take NOWNESS on a rogue Polaroid tour of their 10th arrondissement hangouts and beyond. Mixing from a chic studio in the agnès b. building, Scratch Massive have released four albums including this year’s Nuit de Rêve, collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld and scored several films, most notably Broken English by Chenut’s wife, Zoe Cassavetes.
Passage at the Jardin du Palais Royal, by 5 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris
The garden of the Palais Royal is simply beautiful.
Rice and Fish, 22 Rue Greneta, 75002 Paris
This really cute Japanese restaurant serves incredible bentos, and the prices are cheap and cheerful. We love to go for lunch.
Studio Apartment
Our studio and turntable station.
Record Station, 13 Rue des Récollets, 75010 Paris
This shop sells only nice, original edition vinyl records, from punk to soul.
Le Verre Volé, 67 Rue de Lancry, 75010 Paris
An incredibly good restaurant with one of the best selections of organic and natural wines.
Pierre Thoretton's Film Explores the Legendary Designer's Greatest Passions
Capturing Yves Saint Laurent's rapturously received spring ‘58 debut for Dior and a selection of the designer's show-stopping bridal gowns throughout the decades, today's exclusive clip is taken from new documentary L'Amour Fou. Translating to “Mad Love,” the film traces the 50-year romance between the fashion legend and industrialist Pierre Bergé. The pair met in 1957 at Christian Dior’s funeral, subsequently embarking on a personal and professional relationship that lasted Saint Laurent’s lifetime, despite their amicable romantic separation in 1976. Director Pierre Thoretton was introduced to Bergé through mutual friend Catherine Deneuve, and gained unprecedented access to rare intimate photographs of the designer by Helmut Newton and William Klein as well as footage of the couple’s fairytale houses in Paris, Marrakech, and the Chateau Gabriel in Normandy. L'Amour Fou’s point of entry is the three-day, 2009 Christies auction of the duo's art collection following Saint Laurent's death. The "sale of the century" comprised works by Manet, Picasso and Matisse, art deco furniture and Roman antiquities, amounting to a staggering $480 million (divided between the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and AIDS charities)—but as the movie suggests, it was, first and foremost, a poignant monument to Bergé and Saint Laurent's shared life. "The collection is a reflection of the integration of their taste," says Thoretton. "It was the growth of their vision of beauty and aesthetic in the world."
L'Amour Fou opens tomorrow in New York at the IFC Center and Paris Theatre, and in select cinemas nationwide on May 20.
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