The French Dispatch (2021)
Arthur Howitzer Jr., the editor of the newspaper The French Dispatch, dies suddenly of a heart attack. According to the wishes expressed in his will, publication of the newspaper is immediately suspended following one final farewell issue, in which three articles from past editions of the paper are republished, along with an obituary.
The Cycling Reporter. Herbsaint Sazerac delivers a cycling tour of the town of Ennui, demonstrating several key areas such as the arcade, Le Sans Blague café and a pick-pocket’s alleyway. He compares the past and the present of each place, demonstrating how much has changed and yet how little has changed in Ennui over time.
The Concrete Masterpiece. Dispatch reporter J.K.L. Berensen delivers a lecture at the art gallery of her former employer, Upshur “Maw” Clampette, in which she details the career of Moses Rosenthaler. Rosenthaler, a mentally disturbed artist serving a sentence in the Ennui prison for murder, paints an abstract nude portrait of Simone, a prison officer with whom he develops a burgeoning relationship. Julien Cadazio, an art dealer also serving a sentence for tax evasion, is immediately taken by the painting after seeing it in a prisoner art exhibition, and buys it despite Rosenthaler’s protests. Upon his release he convinces his family of art exhibitors to put it on display, and Rosenthaler soon becomes a sensation in the art world, with his paintings in high demand. Privately, Rosenthaler struggles with inspiration, and devotes himself to a long-term project.
Revisions to a Manifesto. Lucinda Krementz reports on a student protest breaking out in the streets of Ennui that soon boils over into the “Chessboard Revolution.” Despite her insistence on maintaining “journalistic neutrality,” she has a brief romance with Zeffirelli, a self-styled leader of the revolt, and secretly helps him write his manifesto and adds an appendix. Juliette, a fellow revolutionary, is unimpressed with his manifesto. After they briefly express their disagreement about its contents, Krementz tells the two to “go make love,” which they do. A few weeks later, Zeffirelli is killed attempting repairs on a small radio tower serving as a revolutionary pirate radio station, and soon a photograph of his likeness becomes symbolic of the movement.
The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner. During a television interview, Roebuck Wright recounts the story of his attending a private dinner with The Commissaire of the Ennui police force, prepared by legendary police officer-slash-chef Lt. Nescaffier. The dinner is disrupted when the Commissaire’s son Gigi is kidnapped and held for ransom by criminals. After a series of interrogations, the police discover the kidnapper’s hideout and begin a stakeout. Following a shootout, Gigi manages to sneak out a message in Morse code to “send the coo..k”. Lt. Nescaffier is sent into the kidnappers’ hideout, ostensibly to provide both them and Gigi with food, but secretly the food is laced with poison. The criminals all succumb to the poison, along with Lt. Nescaffier after being made to test it first, but one criminal escapes with Gigi, and leads the police on a chase. Gigi manages to escape out of the sunroof and jumps into the police car.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Benicio Del ToroMoses Rosenthaler  Tony RevoloriYoung Moses Rosenthaler  Adrien BrodyJulian Cadazio  Tilda SwintonJ.K.L. Berensen  Léa SeydouxSimone  Frances McDormandLucinda Krementz  Timothée ChalametZeffirelli  Lyna KhoudriJuliette  Alex LawtherMorisot  Rupert FriendDrill-Sergeant  Cécile de FranceMrs. B.  Guillaume GallienneMr. B.  Christoph WaltzPaul Duval  Jeffrey WrightRoebuck Wright  Mathieu AmalricThe Commissaire  Edward NortonThe Chauffeur  Willem DafoeAlbert the Abacus  Liev SchreiberTalk Show Host  Henry WinklerUncle Joe  Bob BalabanUncle Nick  Lois SmithUpshur 'Maw' Clampette  Steve ParkNescaffier  Bill MurrayArthur Howitzer Jr.  Owen WilsonHerbsaint Sazerac  Jason SchwartzmanHermès Jones  Elisabeth MossAlumna  Anjelica HustonThe Narrator |
Arthur Howitzer Jr., the editor of the newspaper The French Dispatch, dies suddenly of a heart attack. According to the wishes expressed in his will, publication of the newspaper is immediately suspended following one final farewell issue, in which three articles from past editions of the paper are republished, along with an obituary.
The Cycling Reporter. Herbsaint Sazerac delivers a cycling tour of the town of Ennui, demonstrating several key areas such as the arcade, Le Sans Blague café and a pick-pocket’s alleyway. He compares the past and the present of each place, demonstrating how much has changed and yet how little has changed in Ennui over time.
The Concrete Masterpiece. Dispatch reporter J.K.L. Berensen delivers a lecture at the art gallery of her former employer, Upshur “Maw” Clampette, in which she details the career of Moses Rosenthaler. Rosenthaler, a mentally disturbed artist serving a sentence in the Ennui prison for murder, paints an abstract nude portrait of Simone, a prison officer with whom he develops a burgeoning relationship. Julien Cadazio, an art dealer also serving a sentence for tax evasion, is immediately taken by the painting after seeing it in a prisoner art exhibition, and buys it despite Rosenthaler’s protests. Upon his release he convinces his family of art exhibitors to put it on display, and Rosenthaler soon becomes a sensation in the art world, with his paintings in high demand. Privately, Rosenthaler struggles with inspiration, and devotes himself to a long-term project.
Revisions to a Manifesto. Lucinda Krementz reports on a student protest breaking out in the streets of Ennui that soon boils over into the “Chessboard Revolution.” Despite her insistence on maintaining “journalistic neutrality,” she has a brief romance with Zeffirelli, a self-styled leader of the revolt, and secretly helps him write his manifesto and adds an appendix. Juliette, a fellow revolutionary, is unimpressed with his manifesto. After they briefly express their disagreement about its contents, Krementz tells the two to “go make love,” which they do. A few weeks later, Zeffirelli is killed attempting repairs on a small radio tower serving as a revolutionary pirate radio station, and soon a photograph of his likeness becomes symbolic of the movement.
The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner. During a television interview, Roebuck Wright recounts the story of his attending a private dinner with The Commissaire of the Ennui police force, prepared by legendary police officer-slash-chef Lt. Nescaffier. The dinner is disrupted when the Commissaire’s son Gigi is kidnapped and held for ransom by criminals. After a series of interrogations, the police discover the kidnapper’s hideout and begin a stakeout. Following a shootout, Gigi manages to sneak out a message in Morse code to “send the coo..k”. Lt. Nescaffier is sent into the kidnappers’ hideout, ostensibly to provide both them and Gigi with food, but secretly the food is laced with poison. The criminals all succumb to the poison, along with Lt. Nescaffier after being made to test it first, but one criminal escapes with Gigi, and leads the police on a chase. Gigi manages to escape out of the sunroof and jumps into the police car.
