Magic Trick

The French have never been afraid to take it one step further, especially when it comes to cinema. When Marilyn Monroe's wind-up-the-skirt scene in Seven-Year Itch couldn't be shown from above the knees or below the shoulders, Brigitte Bardot was baring everything in Et Dieu Créa la Femme. Another comparison can be made between French director Claude Chabrol and Woody Allen. Though Chabrol's repertoire is considerably darker than Allen's, the two have been making similarly themed films for the past four decades and have turned to sexy love triangles for their latest projects. However, Chabrol's latest, La Fille Coupée en Deux (A Girl Cut in Two), while mirroring the same erotically charged path of subtle humor and complicated intimate relationships as Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, takes that deliciously dark extra step. Both amble along between the beds of beautiful women, but only the French can do irony like this. See A Girl Cut in Two Friday through Sunday as part of The Magnolia at the Modern (3200 Darnell St. in Fort Worth), an ongoing series featuring critically acclaimed films. Tickets are $8.50 or $6.50 for Modern members. Advance sales begin two hours before each show. For more information visit themodern.org/magnolia.html.
Fri., Nov. 14, 6 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 15, 5 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 16, 2 & 4 p.m., 2008