Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>

As Coluche used to say about his father in one of this memorable sketches (this one on Work and life in general in the 60's): 'Oh, my father, he deemed himself lucky, he worked part-time, 12 hrs a day, the rest of the time, he could do what the hell he wanted'

I cannot help thinking that those few but vocal home-bashing expats (and I've met a few in my travels and short stints abroad) had a thoroughly miserable existence in the UK for whatever reason and once they move to France, Spain or wherever they feel this almost irrepressible urge to let the world know that it's payback time. I would think that, for them, the move abroad is/was a way -the only way ?- to escape, fleeing was the solution, a huge relief. For many of us here, it is the opposite, the move abroad was a way to find ourselves, certainly that is the way I saw it at the time.

Gosh, how I loved this film when it came out in Britain 8 or 9 yrs ago ! to me, this film is the exaltation of life in all its glory, not a thing wrong in this film by the underrated Chatilliez, again a film which did not get the praise and the box-office it'd have merited in France and abroad. Far more than a comedy with a few famous actors set off by a damn good scenario, far more than all that, a film that might make you reassess life's priorities for a while. This film sticks up one majeur to the rest of the humanity and proudly claims: to hell with conventions, health fascists and work !

'Twas just a post aimed at Joe Smug Ex-pat Worldwide who has made 'motherland-bashing' his perverse little 'violon d'Ingres', his poisonous 'dada', his raison de survivre. It was not, and I am sure that you got my drift, aimed at the vast majority of Brits in France who know full well that, all things being equal, England or France are not worse than anywhere else, bien au contraire !

The great thing about England these last few yrs is that is has acquired and developped this great knack of recycling abroad her great unwashed and her desperados, her ignoramuses and her undesirables, her ingrates and her born moaners. Vast swathes of population across the entire social spectrum are thus being encouraged to decamp to warmer climes, for the benefit of us all in the UK. May they stay wherever they landed fortuitously for ever.

No, 'allez au r'voir' is not a regionalism, I've heard it pretty much everywhere in France

On the subject of Verlan, the following article by Jon Henley is top drawer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,868543,00.html On the subject of French comedies, I saw 'Le goût des autres' the other day on FilmFour, loved it,  thoroughly recommended. Saw an even better one a few weeks ago: 'Tais-toi' with Depardieu and Jean Réno, such a hilarious film ! absolument poilant, and I'd imagine fairly easy for non native-speakers to follow or get the gist of.

If your French is excellent, get those of Les Inconnus (the 5-DVD series,can't remember the title, le 'bocoup meilleur' I think) they're even better.

True, it has emmerded generations of CM2 kids, glad to see it still en train de faire chier quite a few unsuspecting foreigners as well, y'a pas de raison qu'eux souffrent pas non plus ! As for the film, well, it could well be a corker really, wouldn't be the first lousy book to be put successfully on screen, these things don't follow any logic, a bit like our beloved Forum really.

Sorry, should read 'who' not 'how' claro.

East end of Paris tiens pardi ! 20th/19th, Menilmuche, Belleville, Place des Fêtes, those far-flung areas, never been there ? Gawd, how did your education when you arrived in Paris, hein ?!!!

East end of Paris tiens pardi ! 20th/19th, Menilmuche, Belleville, Place des Fêtes, those far-flung areas, never been there ? Gawd, how did your education when you arrived in Paris, hein ?!!!

Never seen it, but I imagine it'd be pretty lousy, the 2 did not make me laugh at all.

Whereabouts did you live ? Not in the east end by any chance ?

Les Ripoux tonight on TF1, one of the best French comedies of the 80's, hilarious. The sequel, Les Ripoux 2, was a huge disappointement but the first one is 'mint'. With T. Lhermitte (Diner de cons, les bronzés, etc.) and P. Noiret (Le vieux fusil, etc.).

What, for Mai 68 ? Could have met on the barricades you know !

No, don't know much about Diarra, is he connected to the excellent Lyon's Diarra ? I too think that Essien will leave, for transfers check out www.lequipe.fr, click on football + Angleterre/France + transfers. I do not like Ardisson (the character) very much, too much of a woolly liberal, too 'bien-pensant', too overtly full of himself and too sycophantic with too many politicians and the likes ! Also eulogises à mots couverts the use of cocaine in his programme... Having said that, his progs are getting better with age, he creates very original interview concepts that I've seen nowhere else, his sidekick (Laurent Baffie), when not doing practical stunts on famous or not people, has got to be one of the funniest comperes on French TV ever, the whole programme is very well put out I must say. No, I haven't followed Souchon's career since the late 80's. Yes, T. Le Luron was very an exceptional talent, do you remember him alive though ? If you like humourists, what about Raymond Devos, very hard to follow for a non native-speaker I'd imagine, but such an exceptional talent, a way with words that no other French comique will ever equal.

Did you like/see L'été meurtrier ? If not, it's a must-see, he's such a natural in that otherwise wonderful film, yet it was his first one, arguably one of the best performances d'acteur in French cinema. PS: but who are these sanctimonious bougres on our Forum ? and how often do they come out ? Haven't noticed anything me !

Neither Danton (great film, I agree) nor La Revolution Francaise are available on DVD, maybe in VHS but it wouldn't have the subtitles. While searching Amazon.fr, I came across Marat/Sade with P. Mc Gee, in English, about the Revolution, could well be worth a look. I also noticed that France3 released a DVD called 'La révolution Francaise' last year, part of their 'history' series, I have seen a few of these and they are just fantastic, but again it will be in French (sorry, didn't check the languages). Sorry, do not know the Dumas novel you've mentioned.

I don't mean to be an awkward bougre, but who are these sanctimonious users you're referring to Miki ? (I must say that I haven't noticed much activity on this front in this Forum) Doesn't look like you're buying much reinforcement this season (to win CL that is), so, going for the Double again ? (FA and League Cups this time) 

Yes, and what about that most fantastic old Renaud song (can't remember the title) that goes: 'when I have rencontred you, you was a jeune fille au pair, and you put a spell to me, and I rouled a pelle to you, together we go partout, on my mob, it was super, etc.'. Yes, that sort of thing, I love it ! You know, I met Voulzy a long time ago at a very drunken Printemps de Bourges, in some bar in town, fabulous time we had, very laidback guy, I have a great Voulzy compil that I listen to now and again, I love his mushy melodies. I love the early Souchons as well (20/25 yrs ago, sorry), even cretinous songs like 'allo maman bobo' (that's even older !) are fab, his melodies were ace, I wish these artists were successful outside of the tiny Francophone world, they are so talented. You should start writing yr own Franglish pun-filled lyrics you know, there's a huge market for it now !

Giving myself a respite from my roasting outside, scorchio here in the UK ! I don't think there are many novels/films on the Revolution that have been translated or subtitled. There is, however, a brilliant film on the Revolution made by R. Enrico in the 80's but I'm not sure if it's been released on DVD (called 'La Révolution Française'), for a list of all French films released in the UK in DVD, VHS, etc. check out lovefilm.com, also allociné.fr should help you, very comprehensive and there's a forum. It's got to be said that there weren't many writers who survived the Revolution ! A lot of the more famous ones of the time (Chateaubriand, Condorcet, Sade, Constant, Madame de Stael, etc.) soon became heavily involved in the politics of the day and were consequently either 'zigouilled' or had to flee the country. The most famous writer of the day was arguably Madame De Stael, she wrote a few post-revolution novels ('Delphine' and 'Corinne' noticeably) about issues that sprang from the Revolution, very feminist and avant-gardiste for the time, she got into a lot of bother ! If I remember well, both novels are superb, 'Corinne' is set in England and Italy, they are bound to have been translated. There aren't so much about the revolution but the life in the aftermath of it, the disenchantment (for poor people and women !), the emigration, etc. Chateaubriand, of course, wrote a lot about the Revolution as well, analysis, essays and letters for the most part, I've never read any of his work on the Revolution, just his other work ('Mémoires d'outre-tombe' which I love -but that is the gloomy romantic in me-, and 'Atala', which is set in America where he fled to as the revolution broke out -he was an aristo, a penniless one though). But I remember reading (for my then English sweetheart, it was part of her studies, she could not be bothered, muggins had to do it), a very long time ago, a brilliant and short novel that took place during the Revolution in the 'Chouan' badlands ('La Chouannerie' was a royalist counter-insurrectional movement originating from Vendée, but also Brittany, Normandy), it was written by an unfairly underrated writer (Barbey D'Aurevilly, still quite well-known in France anyway) called 'Le Chevalier des Touches', not sure if it's been translated though but it's the sort of book that FNAC would have for a few euros.

Yes, finely observed loiseau but 'délice' slightly changes its meaning when switching gender (OK I'm splitting hairs here) which is not the case of the other bisexual weirdos (amours, orgue).

Moi, j'adore les calembours, surtout les foireux ! Yours are bilingual, which makes them exquisite, forcément ! Et puis, I had no choice but to brush up my mediocre calembour's skills as I will be gallivanting round Honfleur in a few weeks' time, Honfleur, whose most famous literary son is Alphonse Allais, the King of CalembourLand and Grand Esprit devant l'éternel amongst many other talents. Mea culpa, there was a crucial omission in my Maire's bit which must have rendered the piece totally incomprehensible. Of course, I should have made it clear that Marie Lemaire, née Lemerre, is now Mairesse de Mer (Loir-et-Cher), not Mairesse des Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer (Gard) any longer. Pourquoi Mer ? Oh ben, le Sud, elle en avait marre, la p'tite mère.

I, too, must say that I'm a mug for these programmes (as long as they're not too exaggerately staged, unlike Nippy and Nigel) where achingly clueless Bidochons flout just about every rule in the book and rubbish every sensible piece of advice under the sun, go about their business all guns blazing regardless, never talk to any locals ('foreigners'), are totally oblivious to the charms of their new location, are absurdly unrealistic and spend whole days drinking sangria while making pharaonic plans for their retirement in the sun ! I've tried liking the sensible ex-pats progs but just cannot warm to them. Cannot get enough of my dear Bidochons' progs, j'en raffole ! C'est grave Docteur ?