By Molly M-D, Year 12

On Thursday 29th January, A-Level French students welcomed Professor Mary Harrod, from the University of Warwick, to give a talk about ‘Intouchables’ – a French film about the unlikely friendship between Philippe (a wealthy quadriplegic aristocrat) and Driss (his care-giver). She deftly explained the context of the film, as well as outlining the directors’ intentions (Nakache and Toledano) when creating this film. Additionally, she spoke about the power of French comedies on a global scale, due to it being the most popular film genre.

When this film was released in 2011, it made $10 million in the USA alone, however $400 billion on a global stage – highlighting its significance, not just for French people, but in the wider community. Furthermore, Professor Harrod spoke about the role of stereotypes in ‘Intouchables’ and the impact that they have on society today (e.g. sexism). She invited us to consider whether stereotypes are necessary for their visual effect and what messages  they are trying to convey in the modern day world.

In summary, this was a very informative lecture, imparting lots of invaluable knowledge for us to use in our essay writing for our course, but also wider information about why directors use stereotypes within films, and what messages that they are seeking to convey. The French department is incredibly grateful to Prof. Harrod for sharing her expertise with us so generously for the second year running.