Bay of Angels / Model Shop

BAY OF ANGEL (LA BAIE DES ANGES), 1963, Cine Tamaris, 79 min. One of director Jacques Demy's darker and more melancholy efforts, his second feature tells the story of a vacationing bank clerk (Claude Mann) who gets involved with compulsive gambler Jeanne Moreau. The characters are surrounded by lush settings - the film takes place against the backdrop of Nice casinos and beaches - yet the obsessive behavior and gray cinematography undercut the glamour at every ironic moment.

MODEL SHOP, 1969, Columbia. Dir. Jacques Demy. Gary Lockwood stars as a young American who falls in love with French model Anouk Aimee in this, Jacques Demy's only Hollywood studio feature. Aimee reprises her role as Lola from Demy's first film, but neither she nor Lockwood is the real star of MODEL SHOP: that honor goes to the city of Los Angeles itself, which Demy photographs with the same blend of wonder and authenticity that characterize his French films.