Film: Beau Travail

A loose retelling of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, the ravishingly sensual Beau Travail established director Claire Denis as one of the great visual poets of our time. Amid the azure waters and sunbaked desert landscapes of Djibouti, a French Foreign Legion sergeant sows the seeds of his own ruin as his obsession with a striking young recruit plays out to the thunderous, operatic strains of Benjamin Britten.  In the tense, tightly disciplined atmosphere of military life- sensuously photographed by frequent collaborator Agnès Godard- Denis found an ideal outlet for two career-long concerns: the quiet agony of repressing one’s emotions and the terror of finally letting loose in one of the most startling and unforgettable endings in all of modern cinema.

This film appears as part of our GAME CHANGERS Series, featuring twelve films that revolutionized cinema. Each film in the series represents a bold step forward; using new and adventurous techniques, courageous directorial visions, or telling stories from new points-of-view.

In addition to the screenings being free of charge, all twelve films are preceded by a Happy Hour starting at 6:30pm, featuring half price beer and wine as well as free snacks and soda. Join us and experience a piece of cinematic history!

The Bardavon/UPAC film series is sponsored by Marshall & Sterling, Herzog’s, and Woodstock Film Festival.