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Henri Langlois (1914-1977) was the founder of the Cinémathèque Française, the French Film Museum. Director Jacques Richard chronologically reconstructs the history of the Cinémathèque (founded in 1936) and the Musée du Cinéma (founded in 1972) under Langlois, incorporating a great deal of archival footage, feature film excerpts and interviews with people involved including directors like Eric Rohmer, François Truffaut, Jean Rouch and Claude Chabrol. Old interviews provide evidence of the charm and perseverance of Langlois, whom the Nouvelle Vague considered their "father." He rescued many film classics, such as Der blaue Engel (Josef von Sternberg, 1930) and Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920), from oblivion or destruction sometimes by stealing them. "One must save everything and buy everything. Never assume you know what's of value." Langlois was well-liked by his staff members, whose anecdotes also mention his peculiarities. For instance, no decision was made without consulting tarot cards. Their loyalty has echoes in the large protest when Langlois was dismissed, after the subsidising ministry had blamed the understaffed Cinémathèque for financial and organisational mismanagement. The impressive footage of the successful action, with participants like Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Daniel Cohn-Bendit, presage the riots of May 1968 one month later. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)
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