Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel Benchimol continues to explore the town of Soissons on an exceptionally hot summer day. There's no better time to explore the magnificent twelfth-century cathedral of Soissons to cool off and admire this gothic architectural masterpiece, including the stained glass wall depicting religious scenes.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
"Tomber dans ses yeux" (To Fall into Her Eyes) is a song from the musical Les Amants de la Bastille (The Lovers of the Bastille), a love story set during the leadup to the storming of the Bastille in 1789. This video gives you a sneak peek of the musical as well as some behind-the-scenes footage.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In part two of our discovery of Soissons, a very ancient town indeed (it was founded in the year 20 B.C.), Daniel Benchimol takes us on a sweltering summer day to visit some interesting places, including the Église Saint-Pierre, part of a seventh-century monastery where Charlemagne's daughter lived. He then shows us a baroque-style building on Little Red Riding Hood Street opposite a magnificent century-old fish market.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Lea shows us one of the largest film libraries in the world, the Cinémathèque Française, which contains over forty thousand films. After the Cinémathèque's original home in the Palais de Chaillot burned down, it relocated to a brand-new facility in Paris's twelfth arrondissement.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel takes us to Soissons, an ancient city that was the first capital of France. He shows us the memorial commemorating the victims of World War I and depicting the legend of the famous Soissons vase.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Patricia recites Louis Aragon's heartbreaking poem "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux" (There Is No Happy Love), which has been set to music by a number of famous singers. You can listen to Françoise Hardy's version here.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this video, you will learn about the famous poet, novelist, and journalist Louis Aragon, who lived in the twentieth century. Many of his poems were set to music by famous French singers such as Georges Brassens, Léo Férré, and Jean Ferrat.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Canada
Cœur de Pirate (Pirate's Heart) sings a cover of Renaud's "Mistral Gagnant." Written for his daughter Lolita, the song revisits Renaud's childhood through the lens of old-time French candies such as Carambars, Car-en-Sacs, Roudoudous, and the titular Mistral Gagnants.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
A black mother who joined the film project launched by Alain Etoundi is critical of movies that don't portray black people accurately and perpetuate stereotypes. She says there's a dearth of good movies with positive role models for young black people.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In her song "Run Run," Indila advises us to slow down and take stock. Are lifelong ambitions and the pursuit of money and success worth the sacrifice? Life in the fast lane might be too costly.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel finishes up his tour of Auvers-sur-Oise with an appreciation of Vincent Van Gogh, who completed an astounding eighty paintings during his two-month sojourn in the village. In this video, you'll see the inn where the artist stayed during his visit, along with some of the gorgeous stops on the "painters' discovery" tour of Auvers-sur-Oise. It's easy to see why the village was such an inspiration to the impressionists!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel introduces us to the town of Auvers-sur-Oise, famous as a source of inspiration for a number of impressionist painters, notably Vincent Van Gogh. He also gives us a sneak peek into the Daubigny Museum, dedicated to the work of the pre-impressionist Charles-François Daubigny.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Patricia sheds a new light on the renowned fable by Jean de La Fontaine, "The Cicada and the Ant." Maybe the cicada isn't such a bad character after all....
Difficulty: Intermediate
Belgium
Stromae sings "Te Quiero" ("I love you" in Spanish). He describes a frustrating relationship that he knows he won't be able to quit.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Louane added a beautiful touch to Francis Cabrel's 1979 hit "Je l'aime à mourir" (I Love Her to Death) during the French Song Festival in 2015.
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