1,900 programs, 52 weeks a year for 35 years…. This is the “prize list” of presenter Jerome Garcin, who is preparing to give up the microphone on December 31, 2023, after more than 30 years of good and faithful service. Service!
Next week, the first of 2024, will be the first we won’t hear his voice in the famous Masque et la plume, a no-go for moviegoers. The presenter and journalist did not miss a single week during all these years, even during prison or holidays!
This show, France Inter’s weekly critical meeting dedicated to cinema, but also to literature and theater, doesn’t stop yet! It’s a change in sound, and therefore, to some extent, the orchestra as well.
Since the show’s creation in 1955 by François-Régis Bastide and Michel Pollack, The Mask and the Feather has never been performed by a woman. Then a small revolution! Rebecca Manzoni takes over. The journalist and presenter knows France Inter listeners well and has presented several cultural events such as Eclectik and currently Totémic weekly on Fridays.
Transfer Le Masque et la plume tonight between Jérôme Garcin, after 1,900 performances and 35 years as conductor, and the talented Rebecca Manzon. A historic moment to listen to on December 31, 2023 for a double special at Inter in France.
If this is a major turning point in a show that has made very few changes in presenters (let’s also mention Pierre Bouteler, the predecessor of Jerome Garcin and host of the meeting until 1989), this program wants to be as natural as possible, without. Rebellion. Rebecca Manzoni will be part of the continuity of this show, which leaves a lot of room for the community and it will continue.
The -iconic- credits (Mendelssohn’s The Spinner) should be slightly modified, for a symbol and touch of modernity. The real change will be heard on the side of the chroniclers: some historical critics will not return, including Eric Neuhoff, or even Frederic Begbeder and Olivia de Lambert. New critics will come from the cinema side, such as Florence Colomban (Le Point), Christophe Bourceller (France Inter) and Perrin Quenson (Cinéma Teaser, Le Cercle).
Death of Michel Ciment, film critic and figure in The Mask and the Feather
One thing must not change: critics will continue to attack works, make or break the career of a film, book, play… the examples are legion, As the INA website listed them. For example, Santa Claus is Garbage, recently broadcast on France 2 and available on Netflix, was disparaged by critics at the time, accused of “bad movie“Repeat performance“,”vulgarity“… the same fate with Le Cornea’s Louis de Funes and Burville: “Nothing!”, “There is no film”…
What will be the next movies to be praised or reviled? To discover the first show dedicated to cinema, orchestrated by Rebecca Manzoni, tune in on January 7, 2024 at 10 am and 8 pm on France Inter. And this Sunday, December 31st, it’s time for a special 90-minute show that brings together all the critics of the show, for a show rich in archives and emotions!
For further:
- Broadcast page on the Radio France website
- Rebecca Manzon’s magazine on La Revue des medias
- They Our Sunday evenings By Jérôme Garcin, published 2015 by Grasset
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
