Beaujolais Nouveau Celebration at Ciné-Club: Plein Soleil/Purple Noon (1960)

Beaujolais Nouveau Celebration at Ciné-Club

This year, we’re taking it up a notch! We’ve integrated the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration into our popular Ciné-Club at a larger venue in Palo Alto to welcome even more guests. In this festive 2024 edition, attendees will be among the first to savor the fresh, vibrant flavors of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine known for its fruity, easy-drinking style that’s perfect for sharing with friends.

To make the evening even more special, we’ll be screening a classic French film starring the legendary Alain Delon—a perfect pairing to honor French culture. With good wine, good company, and a celebration of French cinema, this promises to be an unforgettable evening that captures the true spirit of Beaujolais Nouveau: friendship, festivity, and the joy of the new harvest!

Let the film’s thrilling plot directed by René Clément transport you to the sun-drenched shores of the Mediterranean, while indulging in fine wine, authentic French cuisine, and a host of delightful surprises. As you bask in the cinematic masterpiece, enjoy an array of French delicacies, delectable desserts, and exclusive goodies prepared just for our guests.

Event Highlights:

• Tasting of 2024 Beaujolais Nouveau 
• Buffet
• Exclusive Screening of "Plein Soleil" (Purple Noon) with English subtitles
• Engaging Q&A with Hélène Laroche-Davis, Stanford Ph.D., French movie expert

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
• Time: 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
• Venue: Emerson School, 2800 W Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303

Tickets:

• $15 for members
• $20 for non-members
• $25 at the door

Join us for a night where French culture, fine wine, and film come together in a celebration of joie de vivre. The evening promises to be filled with warmth, great company, and the magic of Beaujolais Nouveau, offering an unforgettable experience for all. Don’t miss this perfect blend of cinema, cuisine, and celebration! We can’t wait to raise a glass with you!

About Plein Soleil / Purple Noon (1960)

By René Clément, with Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforêt and Romy Schneider (cameo appearance)

This colorful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, stars Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, a duplicitous American charmer in Rome on a mission to bring his privileged, devil-may-care acquaintance Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) back to San Francisco. What initially seems a carefree tale of friendship soon morphs into a thrilling saga of seduction, identity theft, and murder. Featuring gorgeous location photography of coastal Italy, Purple Noon is crafted with a light touch that allows it to be at once suspenseful and erotic, and it gave Delon the role of a lifetime.

Each frame filled by Henri Decaë’s astonishing cinematography is a place that begs to be savored. This thriller earned René Clément the reputation of a French Hitchcock.
The bilingual introduction and the discussion will be led by Hélène Laroche Davis, Professor of Film Studies. 
Buffet by Fabrique Délices, Frenchery and AF Silicon Valley.

Event Program

Emerson Montessori School, 2800 W. Bayshore, Palo Alto. Entrance to the Ciné-Club is at the back of the school, accessible from the end of the parking lot behind the building.