Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï concerns perfection of form and etiquette as a way of life. For Melville, perfection means the absence of extraneousness, especially in terms of professionalism and art. Jef Costello (Alain Delon) lives in a bare and gray apartment that’s so comically Dickensian in its austerity that he can almost immediately discern where an enemy has bugged the place. When Jef isn’t killing people for money, he lies in bed and smokes and listens to the melancholy chatter of his caged bird, informing loneliness with the sort of grandeur that we project onto ourselves when we’re convinced that we’re the saddest people alive. Jef embraces the solitude of the Japanese samurai as technically established by the Bushido, but, more likely, as defined by the cinema of Kurosawa Akira.
Melville’s films celebrate code of conduct as a self-justifying reward—a notion that enjoys...
Melville’s films celebrate code of conduct as a self-justifying reward—a notion that enjoys...
- 7/11/2024
- by Chuck Bowen
- Slant Magazine
"What kind of man is he?" Janus Films has revealed a brand new trailer for the 4K restoration re-release of an all-timer hitman classic called Le Samouraï. This French noir thriller first opened in France in 1967, only showing up in the US in 1972. It is widely considered one of the best assassin films ever made, and is often referenced by many great filmmakers in terms of style and minimalism. After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses, his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner. Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï stars French legend Alain Delon as Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts. The cast also includes François Périer, Nathalie Delon, and Caty Rosier. Roger Ebert wrote a 4 star review in 1997, stating: "The movie teaches us how action is the enemy of suspense--how action releases tension, instead of building it. Better to wait for...
- 3/13/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Take a refreshing plunge into classic French Poetic Realism — pre-noir drama with softer edges and a touch of romantic fatalism. A low-rent hotel on a barge canal is the gathering point for a cross-section of quasi- undesirables. Scandals and crimes aside, they’re a touching, human bunch, as performed to perfection by Louis Jouvet, Annabella, Arletty, Jane Marken, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Paulette Dubost and Bernard Blier. Marcel Carné’s show is also a beautiful production, with Alexandre Trauner designs that recreate ‘reality’ on an enormous scale.
Hôtel du Nord
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1139
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 23, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Louis Jouvet, Arletty, Paulette Dubost, Andrex, André Brunot, Henri Bosc, Marcel André, Bernard Blier, Jane Marken, François Périer, Dora Doll, Raymone.
Cinematography: Louis Née, Armand Thirard
Production Designer and Art Director: Alexandre Trauner
Film Editor: Marthe Gottie
Original Music: Maurice Jaubert
Written by Henri Jeanson,...
Hôtel du Nord
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1139
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 23, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Louis Jouvet, Arletty, Paulette Dubost, Andrex, André Brunot, Henri Bosc, Marcel André, Bernard Blier, Jane Marken, François Périer, Dora Doll, Raymone.
Cinematography: Louis Née, Armand Thirard
Production Designer and Art Director: Alexandre Trauner
Film Editor: Marthe Gottie
Original Music: Maurice Jaubert
Written by Henri Jeanson,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Director Federico Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria" ('Le notti di Cabiria"), winner of the 1957 Academy Award for 'Best Foreign Language Film', starring Giulietta Masina, is being re-released by Rialto Pictures in a 4K restored theatrical version, December 17, 2021:
"...a happy, laughing 'Cabiria' is standing on a river bank with her current boyfriend and live-in lover, 'Giorgio'. Suddenly he pushes her into the river and steals her purse which is full of money. She cannot swim and nearly drowns, but is rescued by a group of young boys and revived at the last possible moment by ordinary people who live a little further down the river.
"In spite of saving her life, she treats them with disdain and starts looking for Giorgio. "Cabiria returns to her small home, but Giorgio has disappeared. She is bitter, and when her best friend and neighbor, 'Wanda' tries to help her get over him,...
"...a happy, laughing 'Cabiria' is standing on a river bank with her current boyfriend and live-in lover, 'Giorgio'. Suddenly he pushes her into the river and steals her purse which is full of money. She cannot swim and nearly drowns, but is rescued by a group of young boys and revived at the last possible moment by ordinary people who live a little further down the river.
"In spite of saving her life, she treats them with disdain and starts looking for Giorgio. "Cabiria returns to her small home, but Giorgio has disappeared. She is bitter, and when her best friend and neighbor, 'Wanda' tries to help her get over him,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
The centennial celebration of Federico Fellini continues as another one of his classics has been restored and will be getting a theatrical run here in the United States. Following his first solo directorial effort The White Sheik, Film Forum will premiere the new 4K restoration of his masterpiece Nights of Cabiria, which follows Giulietta Masina as a prostitute in Rome looking for love.
Masina won Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for the drama, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957, marking the second year in a row this would happen for Fellini, following La Strada. This new 4K restoration, by TF1 Studio in partnership with Studiocanal and with the support of the Cnc, also boasts a brand-new translation and subtitles.
Ahead of an April 17 release (and likely Criterion box set), see the restoration trailer below via IndieWire.
Streetwalker “Cabiria,” a seemingly tough cookie,...
Masina won Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for the drama, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957, marking the second year in a row this would happen for Fellini, following La Strada. This new 4K restoration, by TF1 Studio in partnership with Studiocanal and with the support of the Cnc, also boasts a brand-new translation and subtitles.
Ahead of an April 17 release (and likely Criterion box set), see the restoration trailer below via IndieWire.
Streetwalker “Cabiria,” a seemingly tough cookie,...
- 3/9/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Just one year after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (now known as the Best International Feature Film) in 1956 for his opus “La Strada,” iconic Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini repeated the win with “Nights of Cabiria,” also starring his wife and muse Giulietta Masina. Inspired by her brief appearance in his “The White Sheik,” the episodic drama follows Masina’s Cabiria through a series of interactions and incidents that highlight her search for true love.
When the star-studded film premiered at Cannes, Masina’s work was widely hailed as her best ever, and she went on to win the festival’s Best Actress award for her startling turn as the title heroine.
Over six decades since its release, New York City’s Film Forum is gearing up for a two-week run of the film, freshened up with a new 4K restoration, which also boasts a new translation and subtitles.
When the star-studded film premiered at Cannes, Masina’s work was widely hailed as her best ever, and she went on to win the festival’s Best Actress award for her startling turn as the title heroine.
Over six decades since its release, New York City’s Film Forum is gearing up for a two-week run of the film, freshened up with a new 4K restoration, which also boasts a new translation and subtitles.
- 3/4/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The writing team of Boileau and Narcejac penned the source novels for Les Diaboliques and Vertigo, and also collaborated with Franju on Eyes without a Face and Spotlight on a Murderer. Les Louves, a.k.a. Demoniac, is their second film, from 1957, an adaptation of their own novel. Unlike the Clouzot and Hitchcock films, it doesn't so much hinge upon a fantastic imposture unmasked towards the end, but it instead piles on secrets and intrigues until the viewer is both giddy and despondent.The setting is France during the Occupation, and the movie begins with Joseph Kosma's ominous score imitating the scream of a Pow camp siren. François Périer (from Cocteau's Orpheus) plays an escaped French soldier who takes his slain buddy's ID and finds himself impersonating the dead man in the house of his "war godmother" (Micheline Presle), a woman he had become engaged to by mail without the two ever meeting.
- 10/12/2018
- MUBI
Jean-Pierre Melville’s tale of an emotionless killer is distilled to a narrative minimum. Alain Delon stars as Jef Costello, an imperturbable, ultra- slick hit man who follows a strict personal code. When a contract goes bad, he’s caught between irreconcilable compulsions. Following this Zen-like assassin through the mean streets of Paris never seems to get old.
Le samouraï
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 306
1967 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 105 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 39.95
Starring Alain Delon, Francois Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier, Jacques Leroy.
Cinematography Henri Decaë
Production Designer Francois de Lamothe
Film Editor Monique Bonnot, Yo Maurette
Original Music Francois de Roubaix
Written by Jean-Pierre Melville, Georges Pellegrin from a novel by Joan McLeod
Produced by Raymond Borderie, Eugène Lépicier
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
Le samouraï has survived the Quentin Tarantino years Looking better than ever, and with its reputation intact, which is not a minor...
Le samouraï
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 306
1967 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 105 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 14, 2017 / 39.95
Starring Alain Delon, Francois Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier, Jacques Leroy.
Cinematography Henri Decaë
Production Designer Francois de Lamothe
Film Editor Monique Bonnot, Yo Maurette
Original Music Francois de Roubaix
Written by Jean-Pierre Melville, Georges Pellegrin from a novel by Joan McLeod
Produced by Raymond Borderie, Eugène Lépicier
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
Le samouraï has survived the Quentin Tarantino years Looking better than ever, and with its reputation intact, which is not a minor...
- 11/11/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Crime and Punishment: Sautet’s Enthralling Policier an Obscure Neo-Noir
Following the international acclaim of his 1970 film The Things of Life, Claude Sautet re-teamed with his leads Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider for a return to the criminal tendencies comprising his earlier filmography as a director. Less well known today than his 1960 classic Classe Tous Risques, Sautet’s 1971 devious psychological drama Max and the Junkmen is well worth reexamination in modern contexts. As has been pointed out before, Sautet’s genre efforts have long languished in the shadows of Jean-Pierre Meville’s filmography, with well-renowned crime sagas like Le Samourai (1967) and Le Cercle Rouge (1970) having already been released by the time Sautet hit his stride. But while Melville’s celebrated filmography focuses on precise elaboration, Sautet’s outings within genre tend to be character oriented, in particular lending this title a melancholy tint, doubled over in its final, dramatic climax.
Following the international acclaim of his 1970 film The Things of Life, Claude Sautet re-teamed with his leads Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider for a return to the criminal tendencies comprising his earlier filmography as a director. Less well known today than his 1960 classic Classe Tous Risques, Sautet’s 1971 devious psychological drama Max and the Junkmen is well worth reexamination in modern contexts. As has been pointed out before, Sautet’s genre efforts have long languished in the shadows of Jean-Pierre Meville’s filmography, with well-renowned crime sagas like Le Samourai (1967) and Le Cercle Rouge (1970) having already been released by the time Sautet hit his stride. But while Melville’s celebrated filmography focuses on precise elaboration, Sautet’s outings within genre tend to be character oriented, in particular lending this title a melancholy tint, doubled over in its final, dramatic climax.
- 7/23/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
From April 20 to April 28, 2015, filmgoers will celebrate the 19th edition of Colcoa French Film Festival, "9 Days of Film Premieres in Hollywood." The festival has recently unveiled the Focus on a Filmmaker program as well as an exclusive line up of French Classics of predominantly digitally restored films, presented as World, International or North American Premieres. All screenings will take place at the Directors Guild of America. For the first time, the Colcoa Classics Series from Tuesday to Saturday will be free with no reservation, on a first come, first served, basis.
Focus on a Filmmaker: Academy Award-Winner Michel Hazanavicius
Colcoa will honor Academy Award-winning writer-director Michel Hazanavicius on Thursday, April 23 with a special encore presentation of "Oss 117 Cairo Nest of Spies" (2006) (Colcoa Classics), as well as the Los Angeles Premiere of his new film , three years after the triumph of multi-Academy Award- winner, "The Artist." The cast of "The Search" includes Academy Award Nominee Bérénice Bejo and Academy Award nominee AAnnette Bening . "The Search" had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Hazanavicius joins writer-directors Cedric Klapisch, Bertrand Blier, Costa Gavras, Florent Siri, Julie Delpy and Alain Resnais, whose key body of work has been cited in past festivals. This will be his third film presented at the festival, following "Oss 117 Cairo Nest of Spies" and the International Premiere of "Oss 117, Lost in Rio." Michel Hazanavicius will meet the audience for a Happy Hour Talk panel dedicated to his work. (Colcoa Classics + Panel + Premiere of "The Search.")
30th Anniversary of Palme D'Or Winner "Paris,Texas"
The digitally restored version of French production "Paris,Texas" (1984) will have its West Coast Premiere at Colcoa. The Cannes Palme d'Or winner, co-written by Sam Shepard and L.M. Kit Carson, and directed by Academy Award Nominee Wim Wenders, will be presented in association with Argos Films and Janus Films. The cast includes Nastassja Kinski who will present the film, Harry Dean Stanton and Dean Stockwell. (Colcoa Classics)
North American Premiere of Digitally Restored "La Chienne"
Colcoa will present the digitally restored version of "La Chienne" (1931), the second talking movie co-written and directed by Jean Renoir. It stars Michel Simon, Janie Marèse and Georges Flamant. This exclusive new presentation in the U.S. is made possible thanks to the Franco-American Cultural Fund (Facf), Janus Films La Cinémathèque Française and Les Films du Jeudi. (Colcoa Classics)
World Premiere of Digitally Restored "Will It Snow for Christmas?"
A special 20th anniversary screening of digitally restored "Will It Snow for Christmas?" (1996) will be offered to the Colcoa audience. The film, written and directed by Sandrine Veysset, starring Dominique Reymond, Daniel Duval and Jessica Martinez, will be presented for the first time in advance of a U.S. release by Carlotta Films. (Colcoa Classics)
First American Presentation Since 1961 "Five Day Lover"
This romantic comedy by the late writer-director Philippe de Broca, starring Jean-Pierre Cassel François Périer, Jean Seberg and Micheline Presle, will be presented in an American theatre for the first time since its opening in 1961. Colcoa will present the digitally restored version of "Five Day Lover" as a World Premiere. The Cohen Media Group will release the film later this year in the U.S.. (Colcoa Classics) World Premiere of Digitally Restored "Two Men in Town"
A classic film noir written and directed by José Giovanni, starring Alain Delon and Jean Gabin, "Two Men in Town"(1973) will be presented for the first time on the big screen in a digitally restored version. The Cohen Media group will release the film later this year (Colcoa Classics). North American Premiere of Digitally Restored "The Last Metro"
Following last year's homage to the universally renowned François Truffaut, Colcoa is proud to offer the North American Premiere of the digitally restored "The Last Metro" (1980), presented in association with the Franco-American Cultural Fund, La Cinématheque Française, MK2 and Janus Films. This masterpiece was also Truffaut's most successful box office success. It stars Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu. (Colcoa Classics...
Focus on a Filmmaker: Academy Award-Winner Michel Hazanavicius
Colcoa will honor Academy Award-winning writer-director Michel Hazanavicius on Thursday, April 23 with a special encore presentation of "Oss 117 Cairo Nest of Spies" (2006) (Colcoa Classics), as well as the Los Angeles Premiere of his new film , three years after the triumph of multi-Academy Award- winner, "The Artist." The cast of "The Search" includes Academy Award Nominee Bérénice Bejo and Academy Award nominee AAnnette Bening . "The Search" had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Hazanavicius joins writer-directors Cedric Klapisch, Bertrand Blier, Costa Gavras, Florent Siri, Julie Delpy and Alain Resnais, whose key body of work has been cited in past festivals. This will be his third film presented at the festival, following "Oss 117 Cairo Nest of Spies" and the International Premiere of "Oss 117, Lost in Rio." Michel Hazanavicius will meet the audience for a Happy Hour Talk panel dedicated to his work. (Colcoa Classics + Panel + Premiere of "The Search.")
30th Anniversary of Palme D'Or Winner "Paris,Texas"
The digitally restored version of French production "Paris,Texas" (1984) will have its West Coast Premiere at Colcoa. The Cannes Palme d'Or winner, co-written by Sam Shepard and L.M. Kit Carson, and directed by Academy Award Nominee Wim Wenders, will be presented in association with Argos Films and Janus Films. The cast includes Nastassja Kinski who will present the film, Harry Dean Stanton and Dean Stockwell. (Colcoa Classics)
North American Premiere of Digitally Restored "La Chienne"
Colcoa will present the digitally restored version of "La Chienne" (1931), the second talking movie co-written and directed by Jean Renoir. It stars Michel Simon, Janie Marèse and Georges Flamant. This exclusive new presentation in the U.S. is made possible thanks to the Franco-American Cultural Fund (Facf), Janus Films La Cinémathèque Française and Les Films du Jeudi. (Colcoa Classics)
World Premiere of Digitally Restored "Will It Snow for Christmas?"
A special 20th anniversary screening of digitally restored "Will It Snow for Christmas?" (1996) will be offered to the Colcoa audience. The film, written and directed by Sandrine Veysset, starring Dominique Reymond, Daniel Duval and Jessica Martinez, will be presented for the first time in advance of a U.S. release by Carlotta Films. (Colcoa Classics)
First American Presentation Since 1961 "Five Day Lover"
This romantic comedy by the late writer-director Philippe de Broca, starring Jean-Pierre Cassel François Périer, Jean Seberg and Micheline Presle, will be presented in an American theatre for the first time since its opening in 1961. Colcoa will present the digitally restored version of "Five Day Lover" as a World Premiere. The Cohen Media Group will release the film later this year in the U.S.. (Colcoa Classics) World Premiere of Digitally Restored "Two Men in Town"
A classic film noir written and directed by José Giovanni, starring Alain Delon and Jean Gabin, "Two Men in Town"(1973) will be presented for the first time on the big screen in a digitally restored version. The Cohen Media group will release the film later this year (Colcoa Classics). North American Premiere of Digitally Restored "The Last Metro"
Following last year's homage to the universally renowned François Truffaut, Colcoa is proud to offer the North American Premiere of the digitally restored "The Last Metro" (1980), presented in association with the Franco-American Cultural Fund, La Cinématheque Française, MK2 and Janus Films. This masterpiece was also Truffaut's most successful box office success. It stars Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu. (Colcoa Classics...
- 2/25/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine' 1938: Jean Renoir's film noir (photo: Jean Gabin and Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine') (See previous post: "'Cat People' 1942 Actress Simone Simon Remembered.") In the late 1930s, with her Hollywood career stalled while facing competition at 20th Century-Fox from another French import, Annabella (later Tyrone Power's wife), Simone Simon returned to France. Once there, she reestablished herself as an actress to be reckoned with in Jean Renoir's La Bête Humaine. An updated version of Émile Zola's 1890 novel, La Bête Humaine is enveloped in a dark, brooding atmosphere not uncommon in pre-World War II French films. Known for their "poetic realism," examples from that era include Renoir's own The Lower Depths (1936), Julien Duvivier's La Belle Équipe (1936) and Pépé le Moko (1937), and particularly Marcel Carné's Port of Shadows (1938) and Daybreak (1939).[11] This thematic and...
- 2/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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By David P. King
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What would happen if Travis Bickle’s cringe-inducing date from “Taxi Driver” was stretched out over an entire weekend in the North of Italy? Thanks to “The Visitor” (“La Visita”, 1963), we have our answer.
Pina (Sandra Milo) is an independent businesswoman living in rural Italy. But she’s unwed and approaching 40-years-old, and longing for a change in her life. She places a personal ad in the newspaper (readers under 40: think Match.com, but with ink, paper and more desperation) stating her desire to find a man and marry. Of the potential suitors who reply, Adolfo di Palma (François Périer), an older bookseller in Rome, seems the most promising. The story begins as he arrives in northern Italy to meet Pina in person.
Many have witnessed those godawful first dates in...
By David P. King
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
What would happen if Travis Bickle’s cringe-inducing date from “Taxi Driver” was stretched out over an entire weekend in the North of Italy? Thanks to “The Visitor” (“La Visita”, 1963), we have our answer.
Pina (Sandra Milo) is an independent businesswoman living in rural Italy. But she’s unwed and approaching 40-years-old, and longing for a change in her life. She places a personal ad in the newspaper (readers under 40: think Match.com, but with ink, paper and more desperation) stating her desire to find a man and marry. Of the potential suitors who reply, Adolfo di Palma (François Périer), an older bookseller in Rome, seems the most promising. The story begins as he arrives in northern Italy to meet Pina in person.
Many have witnessed those godawful first dates in...
- 3/5/2013
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Adolfo (Francois Perier) is a city man looking to settle down. Pina (Sandra Milo) is a country girl looking for some romance. They find each other through a personals ad in the newspaper, and after months of letters, they decide to meet. Adolfo takes the train down to Pina's village for the day, hoping to find romance. As the day goes on, their preconceptions slowly break down, and they start discovering how little you can know about someone you think you could love.
Despite its hokey-sounding premise, The Visitor (La Visita) is a fantastic film that deserves a proper DVD release. What I love about the film is how it seems to be setting up these tired rom-com tropes and then completely defies expectations again and again. Without giving too much away, neither Adolfo nor Pina is being completely honest about who they are. Adolfo is not a bumbling geek,...
Despite its hokey-sounding premise, The Visitor (La Visita) is a fantastic film that deserves a proper DVD release. What I love about the film is how it seems to be setting up these tired rom-com tropes and then completely defies expectations again and again. Without giving too much away, neither Adolfo nor Pina is being completely honest about who they are. Adolfo is not a bumbling geek,...
- 4/5/2012
- by Rachel Kolb
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – “Interpret as you wish,” invites narrator and filmmaker Jean Cocteau prior to his contemporary retelling of the Orpheus legend and the second installment of his Orphic Trilogy, which also includes 1930’s “The Blood of a Poet” and 1960’s “Testament of Orpheus.” Cocteau’s 1950 masterwork, simply titled “Orpheus,” is one of his most emotionally complex and deeply personal projects. It’s also a lot of fun.
Unlike other avant-garde filmmakers, Cocteau sports a immensely playful spirit that causes viewers to wholly embrace his onscreen abstractions rather than dissect them for their intended meaning. The titular protagonist in “Orpheus” is told by another character that the “dreamer must accept his dreams,” and Cocteau expects his audience to follow suit. This results in a picture of unforgettable images as whimsically absurd as they are dramatically resonant.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Jean Marais stars as Orpheus, the poet famous in Greek mythology for journeying into...
Unlike other avant-garde filmmakers, Cocteau sports a immensely playful spirit that causes viewers to wholly embrace his onscreen abstractions rather than dissect them for their intended meaning. The titular protagonist in “Orpheus” is told by another character that the “dreamer must accept his dreams,” and Cocteau expects his audience to follow suit. This results in a picture of unforgettable images as whimsically absurd as they are dramatically resonant.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Jean Marais stars as Orpheus, the poet famous in Greek mythology for journeying into...
- 9/6/2011
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“Brute!” exclaims wife Danielle Darrieux, fainting; “Comédienne!” accuses husband François Périer, lowering his pulled punch. So goes the first—and finest—10 minutes of Marcel L’Herbier’s Au petite Bonheur (1946), a.k.a. Happy Go Lucky, which has that frantic-nonchalant speed of high society of late 30s Leo McCarey comedies, as well as the facetious charm of the indignant rich. We’d probably hate the type if they didn’t expend so much energy on wasted playacted huffing, the acrobatics of storming out of and into bedrooms, and instant-switch declarations of hate and love. The rest of the picture gets bogged down in imprecise writing, too much of actor André Luguet, and their combination into obnoxious misunderstandings. But before that—when Darrieux’s heckling, scheming jealousy (brilliant: stitching absurd patterns onto the back of her husband’s back so he can never remove his jacket; firing a maid for her...
- 5/18/2010
- MUBI
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