Film & Money Series – shuffling 'n' and 'v'
Echoing the recent release of the film L’Affaire Bojarski (Jean-Paul Salomé, 2025) the MFO is offering a series of screenings on movies and monies. Cinema was born both as an art form and as an industrial process, a phenomenon that delayed its full recognition as a cultural activity. At the same time, and from its very beginnings, it has taken a keen interest in money matters and their dramatic and dynamic tensions. More specifically, cinema developed as a time when the monetary role of gold and silver was declining. These two media have in common the fact that they “represent” reality, distorting it for their detractors, helping to create a new one for their admirers.
The proposed cycle does not aim at covering all the events, themes and plots that link together movies and monies, but will focus on its social and political dimensions.
27 January, 7.00pm, Maison Française d’Oxford - ‘The Fabulous History of Money (1/4) A Revolutionary Idea’ - Frédéric Wilner 2025, 52min
The first choice is not a movie but the first episode of a four-part documentary series, recently broadcast on the Franco-German channel Arte and directed by Frédéric Wilner (2025). This episode explores the birth of money, between gold and silver, in the Near East, at the crossroads between Asia and North Africa, at a stone’s throw from Europe. This episode features Oxford academics such as Andrew Meadows (New College), Frédérique Duyrat (Ashmolean Museum), and Leah Lazar (now at Manchester U.). Register here
10 February, 7.00pm, Maison Française d’Oxford - ‘Crésus’ - Jean Giono, 1960, 1h40min
The second instalment is the only movie written and directed by French novelist Jean Giono (1895-1970), Crésus. A commercial disappointment upon its release in 1960, the film has since gained greater recognition thanks to its magnificent black-and-white photography and exceptional cast. It addresses some of Giono’s main themes, including the destructive power of money, as well as his own history as a bank employee. Register here
24 February, 7.00pm, Maison Française d’Oxford - ‘La Banquière’ - Francis Girod 1980, 1h71min
The last installment, La Banquière (1980), is fictionalized account of France’s first prominent – and scandalous –female banker, Marthe Hanau (1886-1935), who launched a temporarily successful Ponzi scheme with the help of socialites and politicians. The movie, directed by Francis Girod (1944-) stars Romy Schneider and Jean-Louis Trintignant, the latter inspired by the famous businessman and financier Horace Finaly. Interestingly, the film takes Marthe Hanau’s sides – despite her being a known swindler and convicted felon – from a social and gender perspective laden with political connotations. Register here
