Welcome to the second day of the #CriterionBlogathon! You can read yesterday’s recap over at Kristina’s Speakeasy blog.

Before I get to the entries, I have to address the elephant in the room. The terrorist activities that took place this past Friday in Paris are abhorrent, tragic and maddening. We are saddened, horrified and angry all at once. They have cast a shadow over this Blogathon, as a couple bloggers had to back out because they were personally affected. Others, like Adam over at Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second, could not find the words. Please read his post as he addresses the events more directly. He asks the same question that Truffaut asked decades ago, “Is the cinema more important than life?” My answer is no. Absolutely not. However, the cinema has some healing powers. Many of today’s entries are about films that take place in France. This day is dedicated to the people of Paris. We are with you, and we celebrate you. #ParisIsLife!

On a lighter note, some have asked whether Criterion is aware of the Blogathon. The answer, as they published on today’s Criterion Current, is yes.

As they mention, the reason we chose this week was to celebrate two fantastic releases — The Apu Trilogy and In Cold Blood. I published my review of The Apu Trilogy today and highly recommend it. Kristina will be reviewing In Cold Blood, and Ruth will be reviewing Ikiru.

Now, on to Europe … and Mexico too.

FRANCE

The first award goes to ..

Criterion Affection – Children of Paradise (1945) – Michele may have a small word count, but it’s the image that matters. She illustrated a gorgeous picture about her subject!

The Cinematic Frontier – Beauty and the Beast (1946)

CineMaven’s Essays From the Couch – Quai des Orfevres (1947) – Theresa makes us laugh with her comical take on a French classic and her taste in pastries.

Ferdy on Films – Jour de Fete (1949)

Silverbluesnow – The Earrings of Madame de… (1953)

The Stop Button – Diabolique (1955)

The Film Tank – Rififi (1955)

Pioneer Pride – Elevator to the Gallows (1957)

Confessions of a Broccoli Addict – Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)

Film Grimoire – The Testament of Orpheus (1960)

Movie Mania Madness – A Woman is a Woman (1961)

4 Star Films – Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)

Midnight Only – Belle du jour (1967)

4 Star Films – The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

filmvulture – Army of Shadows (1969)

Robert Regan Guest at CineMaven’s Essays From the Couch – Love on the Run (1979)

DENMARK

portraitsbyjenni – Babette’s Feast (1987)

GERMANY

Aperture Reviews – M (1931)

Serendipitous Anachronisms – The Threepenny Opera (1931)

SkeletonPete – Vampyr (1932) – Pete wins for mixing up academic research with mining the DVD extras.

The Lonely Critic – The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (1972)

Moon in Gemini – Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)

ITALY

unfocusedframes – Umberto D (1952)

The Jump Cut at Lime Fiesta – Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom (1975) (NSFW!)

SPAIN

Krell Laboratories – Viridiana (1961)

Psychoplasmics – Cronos (1993) – Winner for the great portrait of Guillermo Del Toro.

SWEDEN

Sweet Freedom – The Virgin Spring (1960)

MEXICO

Classic Movie Night – Y tu mamá también (2001)

… and leftover from yesterday:

Back to Golden Days – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)