Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Get lost in the dreamy lyrics and musical styling of Vincent Venet with this song from his 2005 album “Humeur.” Venet, who describes himself as an author, composer, performer, and director, wrote and composed the album in just several weeks in the beautiful Ardennes of Belgium.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
What is the best way to explain the horrors of the Holocaust to nine-year-old children? France’s Holocaust memorial has taken measures to avoid disturbing children by placing the most graphic photographs out of their line of sight and by offering a tour specifically designed for younger viewers. The idea is for children to learn about this dark moment in our history without being overwhelmed.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The band No One Is Innocent (whose name is also the title of a single by the seminal punk band the Sex Pistols—coincidence?) have described themselves as “electro-rock-blues” and list influences as diverse as Beck, Betty Davis, and Black Sabbath.
“La Peur” was written around the time of France’s most recent presidential election, and if you listen to the lyrics, it’s not hard to hear its influence on the song’s theme. Perhaps now No One will write an ode to the USA’s new president; they could call it “L’Espoir.”
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
French Minister of Finance Christine Lagarde takes a stroll through the aisles of a Parisian supermarket, checking as she goes to see if the actual prices of the store’s dairy products match prices recorded in a recent French consumer’s report. The verdict? It appears that shelf prices are actually lower than what was listed in the report. But the French can rest assured that this won’t stop the government’s investigation into the country’s rising food prices.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The second video on rising food prices in France takes a look at dairy products, in particular yogurt, which has been especially affected by this general trend of skyrocketing prices. So who is responsible? The milk producers? The product manufacturers? The supermarkets?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The first in a trilogy of segments from Le Journal on the same subject, this video discusses the emergency measures called for by the French government, which has brought together a task force to deal with rising food prices in French stores.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Her stirring, tragic story has moved millions of people. As an eight-year-old Jewish girl during World War II, she was taken in by wild wolves and walked for thousands of kilometers in search of her family. Sound too implausible to be true? Turns out it is. Her story is fiction, and, in fact, she’s not even Jewish. Though she may be the James Frey of French World War II tales, her lawyer claims she’s done nothing wrong.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Hear from Henri, the youngest member of our favorite French team, in the last of our Central Park interviews.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
How long would you like to spend driving a race car around a track? An hour? Two? How about twenty-four? In the third in our series of Central Park interviews, we hear from a Le Mans native about the famous 24 heures du Mans.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
We’re back in Central Park! This time, French teens Barbara and Lorraine discuss politics, including the recent controversial Contrat Première Embauche and President Nicolas Sarkozy. (Love him or leave him? The girls don’t quite agree…)
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
From Scratch is not only the name of Neïmo’s first album, it also sums up their ethos. Original and full of energy, Neïmo is a distinctive part of a rock and roll trend: made in France but sung in English! According to the band, rock and roll is best done in its original language. Hear about how they mix their inspirations and influences with their innovation.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
What are the cultural differences between Americans and the French? Hear the opinions of this French family visiting New York. What do you think? Are the French really more attentionnés? Who holds more compelling church services? And most importantly, who has the best hamburgers?
Difficulty: Intermediate
Canada
Annie shows off her skills as a chanteuse, her sharp wit, and her penchant for penning clever lyrics in this rockin’ number from her band Ma blonde est une chanteuse. See if you can count how many of Annie’s personae you catch a glimpse of, and how many of her Annie-mated wordplays you follow in this fun video. Beware: the song is seriously catchy and may leave you wanting more!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Rock and roll, garage, hard-core, street punk — from Black Flag to Agnostic Front to Crisis, Frustration isn’t just a sentiment, it’s a way of life! With Frustration, “Your life will be sadder, but it’ll be more lucid.”
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
This newspaper, called “The Sapper’s Candle” (a “sapper” is traditionally a military man who disarms mines), only comes out on the leap year. But how can a periodical published only on February twenty-ninth be financially sound? Maybe it’s true: less is more.
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