🎈 Flying had long been a dream of humankind. Yet it was only in the 18th century—the Age of Enlightenment, when science became a source of deep fascination—that this dream turned into reality. Thanks to the Montgolfier brothers who discovered that a balloon filled with hot air could rise above the colder air of the atmosphere. This simple but revolutionary insight made it possible for humans, for the first time in history, to leave the ground and take flight. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: Avignon (https://youtu.be/TIsVAGa8ngI), le Siècle des Lumières (https://youtu.be/sZO-HPFPwaA), Jules Verne (https://youtu.be/FZS2JzcQocs)📕 (fr) Read Jules Verne's "Cinq Semaines en ballon": https://amzn.to/4oRGKmA🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

🎀 After the numerous films, books, and series of recent decades, the image of Queen Marie-Antoinette has changed considerably. The ill-fated wife of Louis XVI, infamous for her execution by guillotine during the French Revolution, now appears as a more complex figure. We are discovering that there was more to her than the superficialities and frivolous behavior that made her reputation and contributed to her tragic end. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: Louis XVI (https://youtu.be/ZOIRyeav88E), la Haute Coiffure (https://youtu.be/8tfhUZmbV-g), la Révolution française (https://youtu.be/Ctzqdmvt0Ls), Versailles (https://youtu.be/lMk8wOLSXwo)🎬 Watch the TV show about Marie-Antoinette (2022): https://amzn.to/3MnLIKs🎥 Watch the Sofia Coppola movie about Marie-Antoinette (2006): https://amzn.to/48qhFdS📕 Stefan Zweig's Marie-Antoinette: https://amzn.to/4iGWaZD🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

⚔️ A few weeks ago, Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in prison carrying Alexandre Dumas's novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" under his arm—not exactly a random book. The novel deals with revenge. But what exactly is revenge? Is it a solution? A necessity? Today, with the omnipresence of political scandals, conflicts on social media, and impulsive reactions, this question remains more relevant than ever. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episode: Napoléon (https://youtu.be/8YQ2XI8vBnA)📕 Read the "Count of Monte-Cristo": https://amzn.to/44deWl8🎬 Watch the "Count of Monte-Cristo" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4oCNfdO🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

🎥 Louis Malle, a French film director renowned for his inquisitive spirit and stylistic audacity, his versatility and diversity of themes, and the contentious debates his choices sparked. He received the prestigious Palme d’Or at the tender age of 23 for his work with the acclaimed Commandant Cousteau, and an Academy Award at 24. Malle’s work never neatly conformed to any particular movement, but it often aligned with the Nouvelle Vague. And today, his name once again makes headlines, as his daughter Chloé Malle has been appointed Head of Editorial Content at Vogue, taking over from the iconic Anna Wintour! Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: la Nouvelle Vague (https://youtu.be/_wNBkj46Tg4), Brigitte Bardot (https://youtu.be/HISlNTszfOM)🎬 Watch "Elevator to the Gallows" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/47eawvj🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

🏔️ Perched on the hills like eagles' nests, hilltop villages are the stuff of dreams! With their stone streets, castles, and breathtaking views, they seem to have stepped straight out of a medieval tale. In the southeast of France, especially in Provence, these charming villages attract travelers in search of history... and beautiful photos! Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: Marc Chagall (https://youtu.be/kaoFq3WgII0), Pierre Cardin (https://youtu.be/l1AZxkxxiXU)🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

🎬 Actress, model, and singer, she captivated the screen with her elegant yet relaxed style. Anna Karina, an icon of 1960s French cinema, was Jean-Luc Godard's rebellious muse. She participated in the demolition of classical cinema and the construction of Godard's cinematic oeuvre, directly inspired by their life together. Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: la Nouvelle Vague (https://youtu.be/_wNBkj46Tg4), Coco Chanel (https://youtu.be/cOYhfAmqAu4), "L'Étranger" de Camus (https://youtu.be/RxRyeOlHGYw), Pierre Cardin (https://youtu.be/l1AZxkxxiXU), Serge Gainsbourg (https://youtu.be/_7w7t9JCjWw)🎬 (fr) Documentaire Anna Karina / Jean-Luc Godard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsQi4ouYYzI🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

💃 Who hasn't heard the song "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" ("Love is a Rebel Bird") and found themselves humming away? A melody so memorable that it's even been used in countless advertisements. Georges Bizet's opera Carmen is a fiery, slightly mad, and downright dangerous love story. Between an overly infatuated soldier and a free-spirited bohemian, passion inevitably ends... in tragedy! Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: Prosper Mérimée (https://youtu.be/m49nmSg0H6w), l'Opéra Garnier (https://youtu.be/dfnBRTcku9Q)🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

👑 Louis XVI, despite several achievements during his reign, is best remembered for being executed by guillotine. His death became a powerful symbol for France: the fall of the monarchy, the end of privileges, and the disappearance of an outdated feudal system. Yet this image is rather reductive, since he spent much of his reign trying to modernize the monarchy. Let’s take a closer look at his life beyond his death! Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: Louis XV (https://youtu.be/30-zYnUAGcA), le Siècle des Lumières (https://youtu.be/sZO-HPFPwaA), de 1776 à 1789 (https://youtu.be/Bays2-Q-Ugw)🎙️ (fr) Louis XVI on Radio France: https://www.radiofrance.fr/personnes/louis-xvi🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non-native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

💸 During the Roaring Twenties, Paris was celebrating, but it was also the scene of one of the most spectacular scams of all time. In 1925, con man Victor Lustig pulled off the unthinkable: selling the Eiffel Tower to a wealthy scrap metal dealer. Combining audacity, lies, and manipulation, this true story raises the question: how can anyone believe the unbelievable? And above all... who is truly the most naive? Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: la tour Eiffel (https://youtu.be/51x_-ZB4SJI), les Années folles (https://youtu.be/sDKE7p6ngMQ), Claude Chabrol (https://youtu.be/aJQ33Cvgk-k)🎬 (fr) Victor Lustig "Tours de Passe-passe": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fawslQhDY8📖 (fr) "Les plus incroyables Arnaques de l'Histoire", J-M Carpentier et Alain Libert, éd. La Boîte à Pandore🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com

✍️ 2025: Carmen celebrates its 150th anniversary! But behind Bizet's flamboyant opera lies a discreet writer with a clear, fast-paced, and simple style: Prosper Mérimée. Historian, archeologist, rowdy, lover of mysteries... He loved to tell a lot in a few pages. So, are you ready to (re)discover this often too-overlooked master of the short story? Join this week's conversation on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.comRelated episodes: l'Académie française (https://youtu.be/1RU75-ufcsc), Eugène Delacroix (https://youtu.be/PbSkWfmfWJE), Notre-Dame de Paris (https://youtu.be/lF8UigCxMJM)🔗 https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1953/12/23/prosper-merimee-ecrivain-mystificateur-senateur-et-inspecteur-des-beaux-arts_3030208_1819218.html?search-type=classic&ise_click_rank=4🎵 Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i4JjGSsId4CCCVkJuwLHa?si=K0d8KhxkSqqAPq8_kw5XqQ☝️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider:- supporting on https://www.patreon.com/frenchconversationgroup or https://anchor.fm/frenchconversationgroup- subscribe and share🇫🇷 French Conversation Group meets weekly in Los Angeles, New York or online. It's meant for non native speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced) to practice their French and have fun. You're more than welcome to join! Check out this link for more info: https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com