15.47 - A Gift, An Invitation, and and France's 'Audacieuse' Strategy
In this FREE le Bulletin, discover France beyond the cliché... and consider my invitation to explore its cultural depths together.
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes amis !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today! Bienvenue !
Today, here is something different. A Gift for you. An insight into the type of articles and experiences our PAID subscribers receive each week. Without the Paywall, and it’s free to share.
In this newsletter, you’ll also find wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,
Watch out for and don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin on Saturday this weekend: “15.47.a - How I Lost My Sense of Humour ” - It’s not too late to subscribe or upgrade←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 22.11.2025
1. Bonjour mes amis!
Today’s newsletter is different, and I’d like to explain what’s happening—and what you might be missing.
As a MyFrenchLife.org subscriber each week, you receive this FREE le Bulletin newsletter with introductions to our latest published articles in MyFrenchLife Magazine. But entre nous, (between us) PAID subscribers, as you would expect, receive much more, and it’s all rather wonderful.
Because, well, here’s the thing: MyFrenchLife.org has always been about France beyond the cliché. And PAID subscribers? They get to experience the full, deep immersion…
- insider stories I like to share,
- issues, where I ask their opinions,
- our French Book Club,
- exclusive events for PAID subscribers only,
- that exclusive weekly le Bulletin, and
- these intensive cultural deep-dive articles that I write from time to time,
- plus exclusive events and offers.
These extra articles for PAID subscribers are not Contributor articles; they are from me, pieces that take ages for me to research, where I disappear down rabbit holes about French culture, history, politics, or society and emerge with explorations resulting in articles like these:
“The Beautiful Brutality: How France Exported Its Most Exquisite Lie to the World” reveals how every swirl of sauce mère you’ve swooned over is built on systematic kitchen brutality that France brilliantly exported as culinary genius
“What’s Really Going On in France Right Now: Understanding the République in Crisis” is a comprehensive explainer making sense of five prime ministers in two years and the constitutional crisis reshaping modern democracy
“La République en Crise: When the Numbers Start Bleeding” dissecting how France’s fiscal crisis collides with people power, and why it shapes not just Paris but Europe’s future
And these are just three examples, mes amis. There are more, many more, waiting in our Publishing Schedule, the ‘Zine’, and the archives for those who want to go deeper.
These ‘deep dives’ aren’t quick reads. They’re substantial explorations where I pour heaps and heaps of research and reflection into understanding what’s really happening beneath the surface of French culture. The kind of issues and writing that demand proper time and attention.
Which brings me to why I’m publishing one of those articles FREE this week.
Firstly, because sometimes you stumble onto something so perfectly French, so beautifully contradictory, that it deserves to be shared widely. And secondly because I wanted to share it with FREE subscribers, like you.
This week’s article started as routine research into French cinema statistics. You know, the sort of thing I do when I should probably be outside enjoying the sunshine. But what I found was something far more revealing about how France actually operates in the modern world.
While we were all told that streaming platforms would kill cinema, France did something audacious: they taxed Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ at 20-25% of their French revenue, then forced these platforms to invest that money into French films. Et voilà, it worked. Spectacularly.
France was the only country in the world where cinema attendance increased in 2024.
Not declined slightly.
Not held steady.
Increased.
While Germany, Italy, Spain, and even the United States saw double-digit drops, France sold 181.3 million cinema tickets.
But here’s what fascinated me, mes amis: this isn’t just about cinema, it’s about how France approaches everything, from cuisine to culture to globalisation. They refuse to choose between tradition and modernity. They simply do both. Aggressively. Simultaneously. And somehow, magnificently, it works.
This article reveals the pattern behind France’s approach, the “beautiful impossibility” of being simultaneously protectionist and open, traditional and innovative, local and global. It’s the kind of deep cultural insight that normally sits behind the paywall, but I wanted every subscriber to read it because it explains so much about why France operates the way it does.
Consider it a taste of what PAID subscribers receive every week: these intensive explorations that take weeks to research and reveal France beyond the surface.
If this kind of deep dive into French culture resonates with you, if you want more articles like this exploring what makes France truly tick, then I’d love to welcome you as a paid subscriber. But for now, enjoy this one. C’est un cadeau (it’s a gift). It’s quite the ride.
Read your Gift article: The Beautiful Impossibility of French Culture: How Contradiction Became Their Superpower→
À bientôt,
Judy
Now, onto this week’s free articles...
2. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles
“There are many talented contributors to MyFrenchLife Magazine and I thank all of you for sharing your experiences with us in such an engaging manner.
You take us right across France & deep into many worm-holes. We delight in discovering
and learning more about France beyond the cliché”
Merci
Judy
a) My latest discovery: an old expat newspaper in Paris
by Jenn Bragg
I am really developing a fascination with old Paris, or ‘vieux Paris’ as it’s known.
As I continue to write this Substack newsletter, I keep stumbling upon long-forgotten gems from history that are so interesting. My favorite is learning more about the photographer Eugène Atget, who captured thousands of photos through his lens as vieux Paris was disappearing.
Recently, while browsing the French National Library’s website, I discovered that there used to be a newspaper printed in Paris and London for an American audience...” writes Jenn Bragg.
b) The Art of the French Flirt - and why you don’t have to be single to master it.
by Pamela Clapp
It always starts in summer. Skin warm from the sun, evenings that stretch until midnight, drinks that drip condensation onto your wrist. That’s when the flirting begins — or doesn’t. Because sometimes the best kind of flirtation has nothing to do with intention. It’s just how you move, how you look, how you live.”
And in places like France — or Italy, or much of Latin Europe — flirting isn’t always about seduction. It can be a kind of politeness. A gesture. A flicker of interest with no follow-up required…” writes Pamela Clapp.
c) Red Grapes of Bordeaux
by Eveline Chartier
Let’s explore Cabernet Franc in Loire and Bordeaux, and a Merlot blend in Bordeaux. Bordeaux reds have traditionally been blended, but that is starting to change. The players? Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and sometimes Carmenère !
You’ll find two articles in one here:
1. Same Grape, Two Personalities—Cab Franc Edition - two cab franc walk into a wine shop…
2. Bee Hotels, Bordeaux & Biodiversity - Definitely Worth the Buzz - sexual confusion, fun guys, predators & more.
2. Merci mille fois
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Chers amis (dear friends)
Writing pieces like the gift article I’m sharing today… is the work that feeds my soul. It’s why I do this.
Your support, whether through a paid subscription or simply by reading and engaging, makes it possible for me to delve deeper into France beyond the clichés and beyond the postcards. And franchement (frankly), there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Merci, mes amis. Truly.
Judy x
judy@myfrenchlife.org
PS: Please take a moment to leave me a note, I read every one.
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