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USA
Chicago’s French cultural and learning center dedicated to the study of French language,
cultural exchange and friendship between American and French speaking people.
Brioche, bûche et confit…
with chef-in-residence
Madelaine Bullwinkel
Simone and Nelson in Love,
Fête de l’Armagnac & Cinéma à la Mode
French Classes
8-week session: November 26 – February 2
First 4-week session: November 26 – December 21
Second 4-week session: January 7 – February 2
810 North Dearborn Street · Chicago, IL 60610 / USA · tel: (312) 337-1070 · fax: (312) 337-3019 · www.af-chicago.org
The Alliance Française de Chicago is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) institution
FALL / WINTER 2012

For all Early Birds · Pour les lève-tôt :
Register before 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday,
1 3
2
C’est le temps des fêtes !
Don’t forget to join us for Madelaine’s bûche de
Noël and Holiday menu, and to taste Armagnac,
avec modération bien sûr…
For our students, two important news items we think you will like:
Wi-Fi is now available on the Second Floor of the Chicago Avenue building,
in the Salon, and in the Brown Médiathèque! Students and Members may get
their sign-ons from the Reception Desk or in the Library. We have received very
positive feedback on the hard-wired internet connections in our Chicago Avenue
classrooms — you can now access the Web for classroom use.
Plus, the Alliance is now a national teacher training center for all the Alliances
Françaises USA. This means that your teachers will always be at the cutting edge
in techniques and methods.
De la part de toute l’équipe, tous nos vœux pour l’année 2013 !
Jack, Gaël, Raphaëlle, Aimée et Renée.
Four Ways to Save Money…
Take advantage of these discounts
on French Language Classes and get
started right away — Profitez-en !
November 20 and receive a $15 discount on
EACH language class you take!
For the second half-session, register before
3:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 5,2013.
Plus, frequency discounts:
Take more than 2 courses per year*
and your 3rd course is 5% off, your 4th course
is 10% off and your 5th, 6th… are 20% off.
If you are under 30 or over 65, enjoy these discounts*:
For your 2nd course: take 5% off
For your 3rd course: take 10% off
For your 4th course: take 15% off
For your 5th, 6th… course: take 20% off
4
Members of the Alliance:
Enjoy a reduced member rate on ALL classes,
just for starters — and depending on how many
classes you take and if you register early,
the discounts cited above apply, too!
Recoup the cost of your membership
by taking just 2-3 courses!
• Enjoy borrowing privileges in our
Médiathèque/Library
• Join our Conversation Cafés and groups for
members
• Receive free or reduced admission to
programs and events
*For courses taken during the same Alliance school year, September 1 to August 31; Courses need not
be taken in the same session; Discount applied to lowest price course, if taken concurrently.
Please note that these offers do not apply to Materials Fees, Private Lessons, Workshops, Gastronomy,
Yoga or Chez Kids Academy.
OUR SPONSORS
The Rhoades
Foundation

cultural events
Simone and
Nelson in Love
Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m.
In English and French
Vernissage & Exhibition of photos by Art Shay
Lecture with Irene Frain, author of “Beauvoir in Love”
Free for members, $10 non-members
It is in Chicago that French Feminist Simone de Beauvoir
met and fell in love with the American author Nelson
Algren. Art Shay, the great Chicago-based photographer
and Life magazine reporter, was there.
Art Shay will also be with us for the opening of a special
exhibition commemorating not only a celebrated love
story but also the world of Nelson Algren, a gritty black
and white City of Big Shoulders that is no more. Simone’s
letters to Nelson were edited by Gallimard and made
public, but Nelson’s letters to Simone are not. French
author Irene Frain will be with us to talk about her new
biopic, “Beauvoir in Love”, and share the research that
made it possible for her to imagine what it was like to be
a man, in love with la Beauvoir…
Exhibition: Les Albums des Jeunes Architectes
Don’t forget to visit the Alliance to check out our exhibition of la crème de la crème of the young
French architects and landscape architects… Until January!
Voyages in France: Immersion & Excursion
Special Travel Offers From the Alliance Française de Chicago!
Always wanted to put your French language skills to work, experience the thrill of traveling to
France and finally putting a dent in that “bucket list”? Here’s your chance!
Fun, organized and affordable, please see all the details of these two unique offers on our
website: www.af-chicago.org
Bordeaux and Beyond
May 17 – May 26, 2013 · Tourist Excursion with local expert Florence Ambrosino from SARL
Great Lakes, offered to the Alliances Françaises of the Midwest only.
Paris and Loire Valley
July 6 – July 16, 2013 · French Immersion, with Witte Travel & Tours, and in partnership with the
Alliance Française de Vendôme et du Val de Loire.

cultural events
Cinéma à la mode…
A series of 3 rarely seen films curated by Chicago fashion maven Nena Ivon about the exclusive
world of French Haute-Couture. Nena will lead the post-screening discussion, glass of French
Crémant in hand.
Monday November 5, Tuesday November 27, & Tuesday December 4
Pre-registration $6 / $8 at the door including a glass of French Crémant
Series of 3 films $15 including a bonus screening on Tuesday November 13th
Last screening includes a holiday cocktail dînatoire for all!
Nena Ivon held the position of Director of Fashion, Special Events and Publicity for Saks Fifth Avenue
until recently. Known in the fashion industry as “Chicago’s own fashion icon”, Ms. Ivon has produced
thousands of fashion shows and has worked with many of the leading fashion designers of the 20th
and 21st centuries.
Théâtre de la mode
By Stanley Garfinkel, Thomas Ball and Charles Duval, with Kent State University
In English (1991, 59 minutes)
Monday November 5 at 6:30 p.m.
During the winter of 1944 – 45, in order to raise
funds for the French war relief and to help
Paris regain its role as fashion capital, the Paris
couture houses created a unique exhibition
of 200 petite wire mannequins clothed in the
latest fashions and displayed in miniature
theater sets. The Théâtre de la mode toured
Europe and the United States, raising millions
for war relief and re-establishing Paris as the
capital of fashion.
Fête de l’Armagnac, a festive tasting & talk
Thursday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m. • In English • Members $10 /Non-Members $15
A tasting en noir et bleu… when we match
the oldest brandy distilled in France with black
chocolate and blue cheese! Come and learn
where Armagnac comes from, what it is made
of, how to mix it and what food to pair it with
— with Viktorija Todorovska, US Armagnac
Ambassador to Chicago. Festive atmosphere
guaranteed and Jack McCord’s famous mulled
wine, spiked with a drop of Armagnac, on tap!
Speed Dating, en français (because a date is good,
but a French one is better!)
Thursday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m.
In French • All levels welcomed!
Admission $8 with a glass of French wine
Paris is still the City of Love, France the Country
of Romance and the Alliance celebrates all this
right here in the Windy City...
What is speed dating? Fifteen Dames and fifteen
Messieurs sit across each other at a long table
with just a few minutes to get to know each
other, en français, before moving on to the next
partner. A unique opportunity to improve your
French skills while having fun. Why not?
GASTRONOMIE, MUSIQUE DE
www.af-chicago.org

© Marc Perlish
Unless indicated otherwise, enter all events via 54 W. Chiago Ave.
Christian Dior: The Man Behind the Myth /
Le couturier et son double
By Phillippe Lafranchi · In French with English subtitles (2012, 52 minutes)
Tuesday November 27 at 6:30 p.m.
1947, and France is in the midst of reconstruction after the war. Although fabric is
being rationed, a young designer wins the world over to his daring visions of feminine
elegance. His name, Christian Dior, is destined to reach the realm of myth. A reserved,
conservative man who hadn’t even considered working in the fashion industry,
Le couturier et son double reveals the man behind a 30 year-long reign at the helm
of the most famous Haute-Couture house in the world.
L’Amour Fou
By Pierre Thoretton · In French with English subtitles (2010, 56 minutes)
Tuesday December 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Life with Yves… as told by Pierre Bergé, the life and business partner of the great
couturier. The boxing and auctioning of their vast collection of art brings the story to a
close. Archival photos and news footage as well as interviews with friends give texture
to Bergé’s own account.
Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution
Chicago premiere! BONUS SCREENING FOR SERIES HOLDERS ONLY!
By Deborah Riley Draper · In English (2012, 91 minutes)
Tuesday, November 13 at 7 p.m. · Film Row Cinema, 1104 Wabash Avenue
Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution, recounts the historic event that established
a new world fashion order, as American ready-to-wear designers challenged French
haute couture domination of the fashion industry and shattered the color barrier on
the runway. Executive producer and director Deborah Riley Draper in attendance with
producer Tamara Houston along with featured models.
A Columbia College Chicago Department of Fashion Studies program
CHAMBRE, AMOURS…
Nadia Boulanger and the Americas
Lecture-Récital with the Ondas Ensemble
Tuesday, December 11 at 6:30 p.m. • In English
Free for members / $10 Non-Members
A French composer, conductor and teacher, Nadia Boulanger had a staggering influence
on American music in the 20th century. The first woman to conduct a major American
symphony orchestra also taught music to such diverse musical personalities as Aaron
Copland, Quincy Jones, Philip Glass and Chicago’s very own Patricia and Philip Morehead.
Join the members of the Ondas Ensemble (Julie Koidin, flute; Victoria Holland,
soprano; and Rick Ferguson, piano) and composer Patricia Morehead for a special
evening en musique et en paroles around the legacy of Nadia Boulanger and the music
of her younger sister, Lili Boulanger.
(312) 337-1070
FALL-WINTER 2012
cultural events

MEDIATHÈQUE & CAFÉS
MÉDIATHÈQUE OPERATING SCHEDULE
Monday – Thursday: 11:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
(Please note that the Médiathèque will close for
lunch Mon. – Thu. from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
Friday: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Sunday: closed.
Library Holiday Hours:
Nov. 21, open 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thanksgiving Break: Closed Nov. 22 through Nov. 25
Winter Break: Closed Dec. 22 through Jan. 2
Phone: (312) 337-5473 · Email: library@af-chicago.org
View account: Select online catalog from website
and follow the prompts.
Members only may check out items.
DVDs and all items are renewable! Call or email to
extend the loan period. We carry over 1,600 DVDs
(in French with English subtitles).
Ongoing Used Book Sale: $2 to $3
PROGRAM AUDIO RECORDINGS
Now you can easily listen to past Alliance
Française programs.
Simply visit our homepage. Follow the links to
recordings on cultural partner’s WBEZ Chicago
Amplified project website (www.chicagopublicradio.
org). Begin at Library/Lectures online and click on
the logo. Select from numerous past programs!,
for example:
Discover Lascaux and its Cave Paintings with worldrenowned
Paleoanthropologist Yves Coppens (in
English); Young Architects and Landscape Designers
and Their Portfolios: The French Ministry of Culture
et Communication crowns la crème de la crème of
a new generation — with Freaks FreeArchitects
and A&R Salles and moderated by ERI Keune from
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
CAFÉ CONVERSATION DU MARDI
(intermediate to advanced level)
New members are always welcome to this animated
conversation group. Topics vary. Meets Tuesdays, in
the Médiathèque, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Nov. 20, 27 ·
Dec. 4, 11, 18 · Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29 · Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26
CAFÉ CONVERSATION DU MERCREDI
(beginner to intermediate level)
Meets twice monthly, in the Médiathèque,
from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to practice French.
Nov. 14, 28 · Dec. 5, 19 · Jan. 9, 23 · Feb. 6, 20
CAFÉ LITTÉRATURE
(advanced level)
Meets in the Lounge, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 26: Les Parleuses by Marguerite Duras and
Xavière Gauthier
Jan. 28: L’Invitée by Simone de Beauvoir
Feb. 25: Du côté des hommes by Marie Rouanet
OFF THE SHELF
Recommended library items in French and English,
selected to appeal to differing tastes, ages, and levels of
French-language proficiency.
Dearie: The Remarkable Life
of Julia Child
Bob Spitz (Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, 2012)
The American cooking doyenne has lately been receiving a
lot of well-deserved attention. Our first TV Chef and author
of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia is known as the
woman who taught America how to cook. Remarkably, there
is still more that we can learn about her. Bob Spitz presents
an affectionate and nuanced exploration of her rich full life.
“Often given credit for opening the door to the fresh food
revolution in America, which is still going strong today,
Child’s centenary is being celebrated in books, on PBS and at
the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History…,
where the famous turquoise kitchen from her home in
Cambridge, Mass., is getting a new home…”
— USA Today
You may also enjoy:
Thomas Jefferson’s Crème Brulée by Thomas J. Craughwell
We’ve received a generous donation
of history books about Napoleon!
Some selections follow:
Napoleon and Hitler: A Comparative Biography
by Desmond Seward
Napoleon and Marie Louise: The Emperor’s Second Wife
by Alan Palmer
Napoleon and His Wives and Women
by Christopher Hibbert
The Wars Against Napoleon: Debunking the Myth of the
Napoleonic Wars
by Franceschi and Weider
Napoleon as seen by Abel Gance
edited by Bambi Ballard
18 (312) 337-1070 · www.af-chicago.org © Alliance Française de Chicago

ciné-club du samedi
GASCONY BRITTANY
PROVENCE
BEAUJOLAIS
ciné-club du samedi
Tour de France, a Series with Randy Williams
Admission $7 with a regional alcoholic beverage served after the screening.
In French with English subtitles. Please enter by 54 W. Chicago Avenue.
A French vacation surely includes Paris, but the France outside of Paris is well worth experiencing.
We continue our “Tour de France” with a series of films that showcase the beauty and diversity of
France beyond the capital. The après-film will feature wine pairings from the respective regions.
Randy Williams is a past President of the Alliance Française and film aficionado. He is a Chevalier
in both the Order of Arts and Letters and the National Order of Merit.
Dialogue avec mon jardinier • by Jean Becker (2007, 108 min.)
Saturday, November 10, 2012 / 1:30 p.m.
Two men find themselves sharing a lifetime of
experiences and observations over the course of a
summer in this low-key comedy-drama. Adapted
from the memoirs of artist Henri Cueco, it is the
story of a Parisian artist who inherits his family’s
vacation house in the countryside after the death
of his mother. He hires a local gardener to fix up
the overgrown garden of the house. To his great
surprise, the gardener turns out to be an old friend
from his school days. Over the next several months,
the gardener and the painter talk about their life’s
stories and what they learned along the way.
Jean de Florette • by Claude Berri (1986, 120 min.)
Saturday, February 9, 2013 / 1:30 p.m.
This French historical drama, based on a novel by
Marcel Pagnol, concerns a bizarre battle royale
over a valuable natural spring in a remote French
farming community. City dweller Jean Cadoret
assumes ownership of the spring when the original
owner is accidentally killed by covetous farmer
Cesar Soubeyran. Soubeyran and his equally
disreputable nephew Ugolin pull every dirty trick
in the book to force Cadoret off his land, but the
novice farmer stands firm.
L’équipier • by Philippe Lioret (2004, 105 min.)
Saturday, April 13, 2013 / 1:30 p.m.
After the death of her parents, Camille arrives on
the island of Ouessant, hoping to sell her family’s
vacation house where she grew up. On her final
night in the house, Camille stumbles upon a journal
of a man who knew her father in the 1960s. Injured
after the Algerian War, this man arrived on the
island to help Camille’s father, who was, at the
time, the lighthouse keeper.
Camille discovers a dark secret behind this man’s
two-month stay on the island.
Le bonheur est dans le pré • by Étienne Chatiliez (1995, 106 min.)
Saturday, May 4, 2013 / 1:30 p.m.
Lots of people wish they could be someone else,
but a French businessman decides to do something
about it in this satirical comedy. Francis leads a
miserable life running a toilet seat factory in a
small town whose employees are on strike. To
make matters worse, he has a selfish wife who
plunders his bank account. One night, an ad for a
missing person on television captures his attention.
Dolores, a woman living on a beautiful farm in the
South of France, has a husband who disappeared.
After Francis discovers that he and this man look
exactly alike, he decides to pose as Dolores’ husband.
For Francis, will it be more problems to come, or the start of a brand new life?
(312) 337-1070 · www.af-chicago.org © Alliance Française de Chicago
19

cinéma
Film rétrospective 2012 – 2013
“Les Beaux, les Moches et les Méchants”
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: once a month for 10 months, come and re-discover
the most memorable French actors directed by the greatest French directors!
Young and old, handsome or plain awesome, goodie two-shoes or just good in bed …
Rediscover the great names and discover the new names of French cinema featured
in classic love stories and films noirs, historical dramas and hysterical comedies, plus
the perennial New Wave movies… With introductions and post-screening discussions
led by a fine selection of guest speakers from your Chicago cultural community.
Admission: $7 with a glass of French wine served before screening
In French with English subtitles
Please enter by 54 W. Chicago Avenue ·
Please check our web site for more Beaux, Moches et Méchants.
Jean-Pierre Léaud
Les 400 Coups / The 400 Blows
by Francois Truffaut (1959, 99 min.)
Wednesday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m.
With award-winning author Aleksandar Hemon
“One of the most intensely touching stories ever made
about a young adolescent”, 400 Blows was the first in a
series of 4 movies Truffaut made with Jean-Pierre Léaud
standing in for his alter ego, Antoine Doinel.
A top ten “movie you should see before 14 years old”
on the British film Institute list.
Michel Serreault and Ugo Tognazzi
La Cage aux Folles / Birds of a Feather
by Edouard Molino (1979, 97 min.)
Wednesday, December 12 at 6:30 p.m.
With Hank Sartin from Time Out magazine
Forget about the American remake starring Robin
Williams and Gene Hackman, this is the real thing and
it hasn’t aged a bit. An international comedy sensation
based on a successful French stage play,
La Cage aux Folles depicts the farcical chaos that results
when a gay man attempts to pose as straight for the
benefit of his son’s future in-laws.
Jean Reno and Natalie Portman
Léon / Leon : The Professional
by Luc Besson (1994, 110 min.)
Wednesday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m.
With award-winning actress Barbara Robertson
The story of a hit man and a twelve year old girl hungry
for revenge (portrayed by a fourteen-year old Natalie
Portman), Léon lets French director Luc Besson loose in
New York. “Oozing style, wit and confidence from every
sprocket, and offering a dizzyingly, fresh perspective on the
Big Apple that only Besson could bring, this is, in a word,
wonderful” — Empire Magazine.
Vincent Cassel
La Haine / Hate
by Mathieu Kassovitz (1995, 98 min.)
Wednesday, February 20 at 6:30 p.m.
With WBEZ film critic Jonathan Miller
A Gen X gem laying bare the dynamics of “la banlieue”
social problems in France, Kassovitz 1995 foreshadowed
the violence that would erupt in the racially mixed and
low-income suburbs ten years later. Vincent Cassel’s
character, based without a doubt on De Niro’s Travis
Pickle “Taxi Driver”, is one of a trio of small time thugs
hurtling hopelessly towards a violent dénouement.
20 (312) 337-1070 · www.af-chicago.org © Alliance Française de Chicago
(312) 337-1070 · www.af-chicago.org

with permission © Art Shay
Simone and Nelson in Love, an exhibition of
photos by Art Shay · vernissage le 13 février
Permit No 1139
Chicago, IL
810 North Dearborn Street · Chicago, IL 60610
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