A Slightly Pregnant Man

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, L’Evenement le plus important depuis que l’homme sur la Lune (A Slightly Pregnant Man) is the story of a man who believes he is pregnant as he copes with what is happening to him where he seeks help from his fiancée. The film is a comedy that play into the idea of a man becoming pregnant. Starring Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve. L’Evenement le plus important depuis l’homme sur la Lune is a witty and delightful from Jacques Demy.

The film follows a man who is feeling ill where he goes to a doctor where it is believed that he is pregnant. That is pretty much the premise of the film as it play into the idea of a man becoming pregnant as it would create sensation around those who work with him or socialize with him where he would become this unlikely spokesman for pregnant men. Jacques Demy’s screenplay is straightforward as it play into the plight that Marco Mazetti (Marcello Mastroianni) endures as he feels ill during his job as a driving instructor as he takes his live-in girlfriend/hairstylist Irene de Fontenoy (Catherine Deneuve) and their son Lucas (Benjamin Legrand) to see Mirielle Mathieu only to leave the concert early. Through Irene’s advice to visit one of her clients in Dr. Delavigne (Micheline Presle), Marco’s unusual revelation comes to ahead as Dr. Delavigne turns to a colleague in Gerard Chaumont de Latour (Raymond Gerome) who believes something is happening as word gets out and Marco becomes an unlikely popular figure who would cause a sensation around the world.

Demy’s direction does have elements of style in the way it plays up the growing commercialism over Marco’s condition. Shot on location in Paris, Demy’s direction is straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates as it is about Marco coming to terms with this condition with Irene wondering about his health as she is also thinking about expanding her business to give their son a better life. While there are some wide shots of some of the locations in Paris including this massive billboard poster of Marco wearing overalls to sell pregnancy clothes, Demy emphasizes more on close-ups and medium shots to play into the interaction with characters. Particularly in Marco’s own routines in the people he would meet at a bar as well as the idea that the chicken a maid has cooked for him, Irene, and Lucas as given hormone injections which is a possible reason why he’s pregnant.

Demy’s approach to comedy and light-drama does showcase the element of satire that is prevalent during the film’s second half. Notably with Marco dealing with the new role as he sorts of accepts it thinking it would create some kind of equality for men and women as he is supportive of the idea for the latter. The third act showcases Demy’s approach to sensationalism as it relates to similar cases that Marco is experiencing as if there is this phenomenon that is occurring that could change the world. Yet, it also play into this idea that Marco’s own experience isn’t unique anymore where Demy add to this melancholia that does appear every now and then with Irene dealing with idea of just being alone with her son as well as not being married. Overall, Demy crafts a playful yet compelling film about a man becoming pregnant.

Cinematographer Andreas Winding does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes with some lighting for some of the scenes at night as well as a few rooms in the film. Editor Anne-Marie Cotret does terrific work with the editing as it is straightforward to play into the humor with a few montages and rhythmic cuts to play into its humor. Production designer Bernard Evein does amazing work with the look of the offices of the doctors and professors as well as the interiors of Irene’s salon and the ads that were created. Costume designer Gitt Magrini does fantastic work with the costumes with the stylish clothes that Irene wears as well as the clothes that Marco would wear during the course of his pregnancy. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is brilliant for its sumptuous orchestral score that play into humor and light-drama as well as string arrangements that are upbeat.

The film’s remarkable cast include some notable small roles from Mirielle Mathieu as herself, Benjamin Legrand as Marco and Irene’s son Lucas, Marisa Pavan as Marco’s ex-wife, Alice Sapritch as a famed theatre actress in Ramona Martinez who wants driving lessons from Marco, Claude Melki as Marco’s business partner, Micheline Dax as an old lady Marco is trying to teach, Raymond Gerome as the medical professor Gerard Chaumont de Latour who believes a medical breakthrough is happening, and Micheline Presle as Irene’s friend Dr. Delavigne who would be the first to examine Marco and make the discovery that he’s pregnant.

Catherine Deneuve is incredible as Irene as a hairstylist who runs a salon that is dealing with the news as she is someone who gets emotional in the idea of Marco becoming ill while dealing with the impact it would have for both herself and Marco. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni in a tremendous performance as Marco Mazetti as an Italian driving instructor living in Paris who copes with this condition he’s having where he deals with what is happening to him and later accepting the role he’s given where it’s a performance that has Mastroianni be charming but also display some humility.

L’Evenement le plus important depuis l’homme sur la Lune is a marvelous film from Jacques Demy that features top-notch performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve. Along with its gorgeous visuals, great supporting cast, and its witty take on sensationalism and commercialism on a man’s plight. It’s a film that play into the idea of a man becoming pregnant while thinking about the possibilities in how it would change humanity and society in a humorous manner. In the end, L’Evenement le plus important depuis l’homme sur la Lune is an incredible film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) – Un chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2018

Une chambre en ville

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, Une chambre en ville is the story of a young woman who wants to leave her brutish husband for a steel worker amidst a worker’s strike as she’s unaware that the worker is living with her mother. The film is a musical in which many of the dialogue is sung as it explore people dealing with their feelings for one another during a tumultuous event in a small town in France. Starring Dominique Sanda, Michel Piccoli, Richard Berry, Fabienne Guyon, Jean-Francois Stevenin, Jean-Louis Rolland, and Danielle Darrieux. Une chambre en ville is an extraordinarily rich and majestic film from Jacques Demy.

Set in 1955 at the small port town of Nantes during a worker’s strike, the film follows a worker who meets a woman, who is wearing only high heels and a fur coat, as they would have an affair while he deals with his own girlfriend and uncertain future for his job. Adding to the complications is that the woman he met is married and her mother is his landlord as she frets over the chaos of this strike and the appearance of her daughter whom she hadn’t seen in years. Jacques Demy’s screenplay features a lot of the dialogue as it’s sung yet it does help tell the story where the songs would reveal some key plot-points as well as establishing the characters and the situations they’re in. Even as characters such as the protagonists Edith Leroyer (Dominique Sanda) and Francois Guilbaud (Richard Berry) are coping with their own issues as they would get together. Edith’s husband in the TV shop owner Edmond (Michel Piccoli) and her mother Margot Langlois (Danielle Darrieux) would be integral to the story as the former is a man that is very jealous and possessive while the latter is Guilbaud’s landlord that was once a former baroness until she married a colonel as she would sympathize with the workers.

Demy’s direction is definitely entrancing from the way he opens the film with a showdown between striking workers and the police in black-and-white which then turns into color as well as some of the camera movements he creates throughout the film. Shot on location in Nantes, much of Demy’s compositions are straightforward such as the opening wide shots of the showdown at the film’s beginning while he would go for more intimate moments in the scenes at Langlois’ home with the usage of medium shots and close-ups. One notable scene where Edmond confronts his wife late in the film has Demy use hand-held cameras to showcase Edmond’s perspective in this showdown of sorts as it is quite violent at times. Since the film is a musical, there is no dancing or any kind of choreography as it is mostly dramatic but in a restrained tone as Demy wanted to emphasize on this struggle that Guilbaud is having as someone who is part of the working class. Especially as the songs that the characters sing throughout the entirety of the film showcase their own personal desires and struggles in a world that is quite chaotic. Overall, Demy creates a dazzling yet heartfelt film about a wife who has an affair with striking worker.

Cinematographer Jean Penzer does brilliant work with the film’s very colorful cinematography from the way the interiors are presented as well as some of the daytime and nighttime exteriors as it doesn’t go too much into style but maintain a sense of beauty. Editor Sabine Mamou does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the music as well as some of the transitions. Production designer Bernard Evein does amazing work with the look of the home of Madame Langlois as well as the TV shop that Edmond runs and the café that the workers would hold their meetings at.

Costume designer Rosalie Varda does nice work with the costumes from the fur coat that Edith wears to violet dress of Violette and the posh clothes of Madame Langlois. The sound work of Andre Hervee is terrific for its low-key and naturalistic sound as it help play into the drama. The film’s music by Michel Colombier is incredible as its usage of jazz, orchestral music, and bits of contemporary pop arrangements as it help carry the film and put accompaniment to the dialogue that is sung throughout the film as it is one of its major highlights.

The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Marie-France Roussel as a gypsy fortune teller, Jean-Louis Rolland as a leader for the striking workers, Anna Gaylor as Violette’s mother, and Jean-Francois Stevenin in a terrific role as the striking worker Dambiel who is a friend of Guilbaud as he is also a fraternal figure of sorts for Violette. Fabienne Guyon is fantastic as Violette as Guilbaud’s girlfriend that is eager to start her venture into adulthood while dealing with his sudden distance knowing that there is a future despite the atmosphere involving the worker’s strike. Michel Piccoli is excellent as Edmond Leroyer as a TV salesman that is consumed with jealousy thinking his wife is having an affair while dealing with his own faults as it would make him more troubling.

Danielle Darrieux is brilliant as Margot Langlois as Edith’s mother as a woman who lets Guilbaud stay at her house as a lodger as she deals with the things she lost in her life as well as her growing disdain towards the bourgeoisie lifestyle she was once a part of. Richard Berry is amazing as Francois Guilbaud as a metal sheet worker who is on strike as he copes with the expectations of his relationship with Violette as he falls in love with Edith while turning to Margot for advice and conversation. Finally, there’s Dominique Sanda in a radiant performance as Edith as Margot’s estranged daughter who realizes the bad decision she’s made in marriage as she tries to make amends with her mother while falling for Guilbaud as she spends much of the film wearing only a fur coat to express the sense of ruin that her life has become.

Une chambre en ville is a phenomenal film from Jacques Demy. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a compelling story, and an exquisite music soundtrack with many of the actors singing their own dialogue. It’s a musical that doesn’t play by the rules while venturing into the anguish of love and the hope of a better life. In the end, Une chambre en ville is a spectacular film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2017

Model Shop

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, Model Shop is the story of an unemployed architect who falls for a Frenchwoman in Los Angeles as he copes with his mortality and the direction of his life. The film is a sequel of sorts to Demy’s 1961 film Lola as it’s more about a man dealing with drawbacks in his life. Starring Gary Lockwood, Anouk Aimee, and Alexandra Hay. Model Shop is a fascinating though flawed film from Jacques Demy.

The film follows a day in the life of an architect who owes money over his car as he deals with being unemployed and becoming estranged with his girlfriend as he would follow a Frenchwoman around Los Angeles where she works at a model shop. It’s a film that doesn’t have much of a plot as it explores a man coping with his own existence as well as the direction in his life where he would get news that he’s being drafted for the army. The film’s script, which would feature English dialogue by Carol Eastman, doesn’t just follow the sense of ennui that the film’s protagonist George Matthews (Gary Lockwood) is dealing with but also the fact that he is going through a lot and the recent news that’s being drafted just makes things worse. It’s when he goes to a friend asking for money, despite the fact that he already owes the guy $50, is where he first encounters this Frenchwoman named Lola (Anouk Aimee).

In Lola, she’s someone who is living in Los Angeles trying to make ends meet as she befriends George and confides in him about wanting to return to France. Yet, she also talks about aspects of her own life which would reference a few of the films that Jacques Demy did including the 1961 film named after Lola as well as characters from another Demy film in Bay of Angels. She would appear in brief instances for the first two acts yet would really come into play for its third act where she meets George again after he had photographed her at the model shop. Especially as she, like George, is going through a phase of her life unsure of what to do next as well as the fact that they’re also struggling financially.

Demy’s direction is definitely ravishing in the way he shoots and frames everything around in the city of Los Angeles as it’s a major character in the film. Avoiding many of the known landmarks of the city, Demy’s direction focuses on some of the more urban areas as well as parts of the hippie communities at the time as well as bits of the posh side during the sequence in which George follows Lola as they’re driving to a posh resident. There’s a shot during that sequence in which George gets a look of Los Angeles in this beautiful view as it displays the world that George wants to be in but couldn’t conform to the expectations of the corporate world as his friends are from the hippie community. Demy’s compositions have this sense of precise framing in the way he views Los Angeles as well as the intimacy in the scenes at the model shop and at the homes of George and Lola. Demy doesn’t emphasize too much on style as he’s more concerned with George’ sense of ennui and lack of direction where it does meander the film at times in its pacing. Still, Demy does manage to focus on the story as well as create a wonderment of two people lost in Los Angeles. Overall, Demy creates an evocative film about a directionless man who meets and falls for a visiting Frenchwoman.

Cinematographer Michel Hugo does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the gorgeous look of the locations in Los Angeles for the scenes in the day and nighttime exteriors. Editor Walter Thompson does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some jump-cuts in some parts of the film. Production designer Kenneth A. Reid and set decorator Antony Mondello do fantastic work with the look of the homes that the characters live in as well as the interiors of the model shop. Costume designers Gene Ashman and Rita Riggs do terrific work with the costumes from the casual look of George to the stylish white dress of Lola. The sound work of Les Fresholtz, Arthur Piantadosi, and Charles J. Rice is superb as it captures the way airplanes sound flying by as well as the raucous world of the hippie community and the locations in Los Angeles. The film’s music by the band Spirit is amazing for its mixture of low-key folk rock music with bits of psychedelia that play into George’s journey as the soundtrack also include some classical music pieces.

The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Carol Cole as Lola’s roommate Barbara, Tom Holland (as Tom Fielding) as Gloria’s friend Gerry, Severn Darden as a camera shop owner, the band Spirit as themselves, and Alexandra Hay as George’s model girlfriend Gloria who is frustrated with his lack of progress in life. Gary Lockwood is alright as George as this man who copes with his impending draft notice as well as lack of direction where it’s not a bad performance but not a very engaging one as it’s a major flaw of the film. Especially as he wasn’t the original choice for the role as Demy wanted a then-unknown actor by the name of Harrison Ford for the role which would’ve made it more interesting. Finally, there’s Anouk Aimee in an incredible performance as Lola as a Frenchwoman who is trying to make ends meet working at a model shop as she tries to return home to be with her son as she is intrigued by George while lamenting her own situation in life.

Model Shop is a stellar though somewhat lackluster film from Jacques Demy. Despite Gary Lockwood’s somewhat bland performance, the film still offers something intriguing in terms of its visuals, music soundtrack, and Anouk Aimee’s radiant performance. In the end, Model Shop is a fine film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) – Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2017

The Young Girls of Rochefort

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (The Young Girls of Rochefort) is the story of two sisters who hope to go to the big city when a fair arrives in their port town as they hope to find men and a chance to succeed. The film is a musical set in a small port town in France where it plays into two sisters trying to make it and escape their dreary world. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Dorleac, Jacques Perrin, Michel Piccoli, Danielle Darrieux, George Chakaris, Grover Dale, and Gene Kelly. Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a splendid and enchanting film from Jacques Demy.

Set in the actual port town of Rochefort during the course of an entire weekend, the film is about a fair that is happening in the town where twin sisters hope to find their ideal men during the fair while hoping to go to Paris to pursue their own dreams. It’s a film that is about trying to find love but also deal with lost love and other complications with everyone getting ready for this fair that was to showcase a lot of things to the locals in Rochefort. Jacques Demy’s screenplay follows a lot of characters and their own pursuit for love with the twin sisters Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Francoise Dorleac) as the leads in the story as they’re two women who can sing and dance as they both want to go to Paris. Upon meeting the carnies Etienne (George Chakaris) and Bill (Grover Dale), they find a chance to get out of Rochefort even though their ideal figures of who their soul mates are just happen to be in the city. At the same time, there’s other characters who cope with love such as Delphine and Solange’s mother Yvonne (Danielle Darrieux) over a fiancée she left behind while a music shop owner in Simon Dame (Michel Piccoli) has just arrived to the town lamenting over someone he had lost as he befriends Solange.

Simon’s friendship with Solange would prompt him to call upon an old friend who could help her with her dreams of writing music in an American named Andrew Miller (Gene Kelly) as the two would meet but are unaware of who they really are. Another storyline involves a sailor named Maxence (Jacques Perrin) who is also a poet and painter as he is looking for his own ideal form of love through a painting he made as the woman in the painting looks a lot like Delphine though he’s never met her. There’s a lot that goes on yet Demy always find a way for these multiple stories with multiple characters to not overwhelm the narrative as he would write the lyrics and dialogue that would reveal a lot for all of these other storylines to make sense.

Demy’s direction is just intoxicating to watch in every sense of the word as it is shot on location in Rochefort where it is made to look like a real small town that has a lot more to offer. Shot on a 2:35:1 aspect ratio, Demy uses the widescreen format to his advantage not just in the wide shot where he captures so much coverage in the town but also in the scope of the dancing. Aided by choreographer Norman Meen, the dancing in the film definitely has a sense of movement that Demy would follow not just in wide and medium shots but also know when to cut and get it from another angle or for a close-up. Demy would use some tracking shots to follow some of the dancing while setting up moments from one part of a street to another to follow one character’s narrative into another where it all connects. Demy would also create simple moments for the non-musical scenes as it is more about the characters and what they would do where it would either set up a musical moment or something that would become a plot-point for a character. Even as its climax is at the fair where it is about these twin sisters finally reaching their dream to go to Paris and make something of themselves but also leave behind the idea that they might’ve never found their ideal figures of love. Overall, Demy creates a wondrous and majestic film about twin sisters trying to find love in their small port hometown.

Cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet does amazing work with the film’s colorful and gorgeous cinematography as much of the film is shot in the daytime where it captures the fullness and beauty of the colors as well as the locations with very few scenes shot at night that includes a dinner at Yvonne’s café. Editor Jean Hamon does excellent work with the editing as it does have elements of style but knows how to play with the rhythm of the music and in the dancing as it’s one of the film’s highlights. Production designer Bernard Evein and set decorator Louis Seuret do brilliant work with the set design from the look of Yvonne’s café as well as some of the staging in the fair and the music shop owned by Simon.

Costume designers Jacqueline Moreau and Marie-Claude Fouquet do fantastic work with the costumes as it adds to the film’s gorgeous visuals with its vibrant colors and how it play into the personality of the characters in the film. The sound work of Jacques Maumont is superb as it is very straightforward while capturing the atmosphere of the fair and some of the other local events. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is incredible as it is a highlight of the film with its playful score and the songs written with Demy as it says so much about the characters and helping to drive the story.

The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Genevieve Thenier as Yvonne’s café waitress Josette, Pamela Hart and Leslie North as a couple of performers that dump Etienne and Bill for sailors, Patrick Jeantet as Yvonne’s youngest son Booboo, Rene Bazart as Yvonne’s father, Henri Cremieux as an old friend of Yvonne’s father who visits the café, and Jacques Riberolles as Delphine’s art gallery boyfriend Guillaume who is quite full of himself as the two break-up early in the film. Michel Piccoli is superb as Simon as a music shop owner who is an old friend of Andy as well as a mentor of sorts for Solange with her music as he also laments over love that he’s lost many years ago. Danielle Darrieux is fantastic as Yvonne as a café owner who also laments over a lover she left behind while coping with the fact that her daughters are leaving home to pursue their dreams as she’s the only person in the film that actually sings while everyone lip-syncs other people’s voices. Jacques Perrin is excellent as the sailor Maxence as a man who is trying to finish his service in the military while pursuing his own dreams as an artist where he hopes to find the woman he painted but never met.

George Chakaris and Grover Dale are brilliant in their respective roles as Etienne and Bill as two smooth-talking but kind carnies who try to woo Delphine and Solange while helping out Yvonne and other locals in the world of love. Gene Kelly is marvelous as Andrew Miller as an American friend of Simon who visits the small town as he gets a glimpse and falls for Solange while discovering a piece she wrote that she dropped upon their first meeting. Finally, there’s the duo of Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Delphine and Solange. Deneuve and Dorleac, who are sisters in real-life, both provide a great sense of comic timing and charm as well as displaying their own vulnerabilities as women trying to find their ideal mates and their pursuit to follow their dreams in the big city despite leaving the one place they call home.

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a spectacular film from Jacques Demy. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, top-notch choreography, and sumptuous music. It’s a film that doesn’t just bear many elements into what makes the musical a joy to watch but it’s also backed by a universal and engaging story about finding love in a small portside town in France. In the end, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a tremendous film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) – Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2017

The World of Jacques Demy

Written and directed by Agnes Varda, L’univers de Jacques Demy (The World of Jacques Demy) is a documentary in which Varda pays tribute to her late husband through the films he made as well as his life. Featuring interviews with those that worked with him, the film is a look into one French cinema’s finest filmmakers. The result is a lively and touching portrait of one of the great filmmakers that ever lived.

Among the filmmakers who emerged during the era of the French New Wave, Jacques Demy was someone who didn’t fit in with that movement due to his love for American musicals and fantasy as he would cultivate a career that is considered one of the finest in cinema. Created in the span of two years, Agnes Varda creates not just a solemn tribute to her husband but would also interview some of his collaborators, fans of his work, and the actors that worked with him. Even as Varda goes into detail about his own life with the aid of their children, her sister-in-law, and old friends as well as the places he grew up in as the town would also pay tribute to the filmmaker.

Through various film clips and rare behind-the-scenes footage which would feature those anyone wouldn’t expect in a Demy film set like Jim Morrison at the set of Donkey Skin who would give Delphine Seyrig’s son his autograph. The actors such as Michel Piccoli, Jeanne Moreau, Catherine Deneuve, Dominique Sanda, Anouk Aimee, Jacques Perrin, Nino Castelnuovo talk about their experiences working with Demy and his films. Much of it show that they all have pleasant experiences with him where Deneuve recalled doing The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as the first time she felt she was working with a real filmmaker. Many of his films are covered including the ones that weren’t successful like Lady Oscar and Parking where clips of interviews by Demy talk about the way things are in the industry where not all of his films are successful.

The film also showcases Demy’s brief flirtation in Hollywood when he was making Model Shop as a sequel to Lola with Anouk Aimee where the original male lead was supposed to be an up-and-coming actor named Harrison Ford who is also interviewed where he talks about how much Demy and one of the film’s producer wanted him to be in the film. Instead, studios chose Gary Lockwood of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the role which Demy wasn’t happy with though the resulting film was something Demy thought was good but not great. With the aid of cinematographers Stephane Krausz, Peter Pilafian, and Georges Strouve, along with editor Marie-Josee Audiard and the sound work of Thierry Ferreux and Jean-Luc Rault-Cheynet, Varda chose a different approach to narrative where she goes for a more non-linear look into Demy’s life and work.

Adding to the film’s whimsical tone are the music pieces by Michel Colombier and Michel Legrand who are both featured in the film as they talk about Demy’s approach to music. Much of the music that appears in the film is from Demy’s films as it adds to his love for music and what it means to him. Even as some fans of his films including some ordinary people know some of the songs by heart as the actors in those films would sing bits of these songs. It adds to the power of Demy’s influence and the impact he made in the world of films.

L’univers de Jacques Demy is a phenomenal film from Agnes Varda. It’s not just one of Varda’s finest documentaries but also a touching and exhilarating tribute to her late husband in Jacques Demy. Notably as it’s a film that displays some unique surprises about Demy and his work and how much he means to audiences all over the world. In the end, L’univers de Jacques Demy is a sensational film from Agnes Varda.

Agnes Varda Films: Diary of a Pregnant Woman - Du cote de la cote - La Pointe Courte - Cleo from 5 to 7 - Le Bonheur - (Les Creatures) – (Far from Vietnam) – (Lions Love) – (Daguerreotypes) – One Sings, the Other Doesn’t – (Murals Murals) – (Documenteur) - Vagabond - (Jane B. by Agnes V.) – ((Le Petit Amour) – (Jacquot de Nantes) – (The Young Girls Turn 25) – (One Hundred and One Nights) – The Gleaners & I - (The Gleaners & I: Two Years Later) – (Cinevardaphoto) – (Some Windows of Noirmoutier) - (The Beaches of Agnes) – (Faces Places) – (Varda by Agnes)

© thevoid99 2015

Donkey Skin

Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, Peau d’Ane (Donkey Skin) is the story of a princess who goes into hiding after being asked by her father to marry him. Written for the screen and directed by Jacques Demy, the film is a whimsical musical-fantasy that plays into a princess who goes from riches-to-rags in order to do something for herself. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Jacques Perrin, Micheline Presle, Fernand Ledoux, Henri Cremieux, Sacha Pitoeff, and Delphine Seyrig. Peau d’Ane is a charming and delightful film from Jacques Demy.

The film is a simple fairy tale where a king deals with the death of his wife where he makes a vow to marry a woman as beautiful as her in which he picks his own daughter much to her own horror as she goes into hiding wearing donkey skin as a robe and pretends to be a scullery maid. It’s a film that plays into the many elements that are expected in fairy tales but it is also very strange considering that hints ideas of incest. There, the princess (Catherine Deneuve) would try to find ways to not go through with this ordeal as she gets the help of her fairy godmother (Delphine Seyrig) where the results would be humiliating but also a moment that would prompt the princess to find herself. The film’s screenplay does follow a traditional structure that is expected in fairy tales but with some of the dialogue that is sung as well as hints of anachronisms that add to the film’s offbeat humor. Yet, it is largely a fantasy as there aren’t any rules in that genre as it is all about the princess trying to find her true love and happiness.

Jacques Demy’s direction is very intoxicating not just in its approach to imagery but also in how he presents the film as an offbeat fairy tale. From the lavish costumes and set designs to the way servants, animals, and other things look, the film is definitely pure fantasy as Demy creates something that is off-the-wall such as a donkey who defecates gold and jewels for his king. Much of Demy’s direction include a lot of medium and wide shots to play into the look of the kingdom and its many locations in the forests while having this strange mix of elegance and dreariness in the world that the princess would embark. Notably as there are scenes of pure fantasy as it relates to the character of Prince Charming (Jacques Perrin) who would encounter the princess unaware of her true identity. It would then play into elements of comedy and mayhem as well as things that can’t explain that is more in tune with the world of fantasy. Overall, Demy creates a sensational and exhilarating film about a princess who refuses to marry her father.

Cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet does brilliant work with the film‘s very rich and colorful photography with its vibrant usage of the Technicolor film stock as plays into the beauty of the locations and settings as well as some unique lighting to play into the element of fantasy that occurs in the film. Editor Anne-Marie Crotet does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of slow-motion and reverse edits as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the musical elements in the film. Production designer Jim Leon and art director Jacques Dugied do amazing work with the set design from the look of the castles and its rooms to the shabby hut that the princess would live in her disguise along with the colors of the different kingdoms.

Costume designers Augusto Pace and Gitt Magrini do fantastic work with the costumes from the design of the dresses as well as the clothes the men wear as it plays into the period of time where men wore tights and the women wore lavish gowns. The sound work of Andre Hervee is terrific for some of the sound effects in some of the magical moments as well as some of the moments that goes on in some of the celebrations and other quieter scenes. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is incredible for not just its playful orchestral score but also in the songs that are created for the film as it play into emotions of a few of its characters as well as the sense of hope that they long for as the music is a major highlight of the film.

The film’s marvelous cast includes notable small roles from Pierre Repp as the Red Queen’s messenger Thibauld, Sacha Pitoeff as prime minister for the blue kingdom, Louise Chevalier as the old woman who would give the princess the work she needs to do at the farm, Henri Cremieux as the red kingdom’s physician, Fernand Ledoux and Micheline Presle in their respective roles as the Red King and Queen, and Jean Servais as the voice of the film narrator’s who only appears for the film’s opening and closing sections. Jacques Perrin is excellent as Prince Charming as a young prince who encounters the Princess unaware of her true identity nor her disguise as he falls for her and tries to find out who she is.

Delphine Seyrig is fantastic as the Fairy Godmother who tries to help the Princess while doing things that would baffle the Princess as Seyrig brings a lot of charm to her role including some amazing entrances. Jean Marais is superb as the King as a man who is grief-stricken by the loss of his wife where he is convinced that the only way to save his kingdom is to marry his daughter unaware of how disgusting it is. Finally, there’s Catherine Deneuve in a phenomenal performance in the dual role as the Queen and as her daughter in the Princess where her role in the former is very brief while the latter has Deneuve do a lot more in terms of singing and dealing with her situation as she would provide some charm and humility to her performance as it’s one of Deneuve’s finest roles.

Peau d’Ane is a remarkable film from Jacques Demy. Armed with a great cast, sumptuous visuals, and delightful music, the film isn’t just a fascinating take on a French fairytale but also a film that manages to infuse a lot of quirks and ideas that subvert many of its expectations. In the end, Peau d’Ane is an exquisitely rich film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2015

Bay of Angels

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, La baie des anges (Bay of Angels) is the story of a bank clerk who is introduced to the world of gambling as he falls for a woman with a gambling addiction. The film is an exploration into a man falling in love with a woman where he gets sucked into a world where the risks are very high. Starring Jeanne Moreau, Claude Mann, Paul Guers, Henri Nassiet, and Nicole Chollet. La baie des anges is a sensational film from Jacques Demy.

The film is a simple story of a bank clerk whose friend introduces him to the world of gambling where he gets sucked in as he travels to Nice to gamble some more where he meets a beautiful yet troubled woman with a gambling problem. There, the two endure the highs and lows of gambling where they win big and then lose big as it creates something that plays into whether or not is risking money and livelihood worth it all for a bunch of money? Jacques Demy’s script does play to a traditional structure yet it is largely told from the perspective of Jean (Claude Mann) who is just a bank clerk that is just trying to have a good life and help his father.

Yet, he gets sucked into this high-octane world of winning and losing money but manages to figure out the game of roulette and wins big through his wit. Upon meeting Jackie (Jeanne Moreau) in Nice, he falls in love and becomes consumed by winning big but also lose big as he would also know more about Jackie and her troubled addiction as she is someone that clearly has a problem. While she tries to act cool about it and pretend that it doesn’t affect her, Jean definitely knows she has a problem as he tries to make sense while he begins to realize the dangers of gambling.

Demy’s direction has an air of style in terms of the camera movements and compositions yet does maintain a sense of simplicity in its visuals and approach to storytelling. Notably as Demy creates something where the audience becomes invested into Jean’s discovery into the world of gambling where they too will probably guess a number and wonder if he’ll win or lose. Demy would create these intricate medium and wide shots to play into the world of casinos as he uses a lot of tracking shots to showcase how intimate and vast these small casinos are. The close-ups would add to the drama as it relates to Jackie’s own anguish and the sense of fear that looms over Jean when both of them have their backs against the wall when it comes to losing.

Especially as their trip to Monte Carlo becomes a disastrous one where it would add to the drama as well as Jean’s own revelation about gambling as it relates to what his father told him earlier in the film. It would all play into not just Jean trying to convince Jackie that she’s risking so much more but also the fact that there is a way out. Not just on the roulette table but in life itself. Overall, Demy creates a very compelling yet evocative film about a young man who encounters the world of gambling and a woman with a gambling problem.

Cinematographer Jean Rabier does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from its usage of lights for scenes set at night in its interior and exterior settings to the more naturalistic look into the streets of Nice where it looks more low-key and real. Editor Anne-Marie Cotret does fantastic work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts to play into some of the excitement that occurs in winning as well as other stylish cuts to play into the drama. Set decorator/costume designer Bernard Evein, with costumer Pierre Cardin, does amazing work with the look of the casino halls and hotel rooms as well as the stylish clothes that Jackie and Jean wear.

The sound work of Andre Hervee is terrific for the naturalistic atmosphere that is created inside the casinos and in some of the locations including the beaches in Nice and Monte Carlo. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is phenomenal as it is a mixture of jazz and classical where it features a few playful pieces but also a piano flourish theme that plays into moments of good luck for Jean and Jackie along with a somber theme based on string instruments as it’s one of the film’s highlights.

The film’s superb cast includes a few notable small roles from Nicole Chollet as a customer of Jean’s father, Andres Certes as the bank director, Conchita Parodi as the hotel manager in Nice, Henri Nassiet as Jean’s father, and Paul Guers as Jean’s colleague Caron who would introduce him to the world of gambling. Claude Mann is brilliant as Jean as a young bank clerk who is seduced into the world of gambling as he tries to figure out how to play well while being cautious into every move he makes. Finally, there’s Jeanne Moreau in a remarkable performance as Jackie as this woman with platinum blonde hair who is the epitome of beauty but is a complete mess inside when things don’t go her way as she is upbeat when she wins but falls apart when she loses as it’s a performance filled with anguish and charm.

La baie des anges is an exquisitely rich and exhilarating film from Jacques Demy. Featuring great performances from Jeanne Moreau and Claude Mann as well as an amazing score by Michel Legrand. The film isn’t just a unique study into the world of gambling and addiction but also how a man become seduced into a world that is new as he falls for a woman whose descent would force him to take action. In the end, La baie des anges is an incredible film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2015

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) is a musical-drama about a pregnant young woman who has to deal with a new life when her lover is away at war. With the dialogue sung, the film is a look into a young woman trying to deal with the new changes in her life. Starring Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo. Les Parapluies de Cherbourg is an evocative yet enchanting film from Jacques Demy.

The film explores the life of a young couple in Genevieve (Catherine Denueve) and Guy as they’re two young lovers living in the small town of Cherbourg as she works for her mother (Anne Vernon) at an umbrella shop while he is a mechanic who lives with his ailing aunt Elise (Mireille Perrey). When Guy is reported to join the military for Algerian War, the couple part ways as Genevieve tries to figure out what to do as to whether wait for Guy to return or to marry this charming young jeweler named Roland (Marc Michel). It’s a film that is about fates and the choices that people have to make in their life as it also explores ones that are uneasy. Even as both Genevieve and Guy have to deal the choices in their lives.

Jacques Demy’s script does have a traditional structure while the film is set from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. The first act is about Guy and Genevieve’s love affair that is quite lively though Genevieve’s mother disproves of the relationship until she meets Roland. The second act is about Genevieve living all alone with her mother as she waits for word on Guy while starting a relationship with Roland as she is also pregnant with Guy’s child. The third act is about Guy’s return to Cherbourg two years after his service as he deals with loss and changing times while wanting to figure out what to do with his life. Part of what helps the story play into the drama is the dialogue that helps carry the story where Demy plays into the dramatic stakes while adding bits of humor in the dialogue. It would all play to the fates of Genevieve and Guy and what would happen throughout the story.

Demy’s direction is very entrancing in not just the scope of the film but also in the way the scenes play into the romance and drama that occurs in the film. Since it’s a musical, most of the dialogue is sung for the film as it helps tell the story while Demy uses a lot of gazing long-shots to play into the emotions of the song that is happening. Some of which is lively and full of joy while some of it is also quite melancholic as it plays to Genevieve’s longing for Guy. Demy also uses some close-ups while knowing how to frame the actors in those close-ups against the background. The direction also has moments where there’s something happening in the background which contrasts to what is really happening in the scene that plays to Genevieve’s loss of her youth.

Many of the dramatic moments of the film is more loose as there’s no dance numbers where the actors are more concerned with just singing the song and trying to showcase the emotions of what is happening in the film. Notably in the third act in Guy’s return as he arrives at Cherbourg realizing that things have changed and he is ravaged by not just war but the loss that he’s facing. Still, Demy provides a lot of moments where Guy can find a way to move on the form of Madeleine (Ellen Farner) who had been taking care of his aunt. It’s a part of the third act where Guy can find a live without Madeleine but knows that he’ll never get over her. Overall, Demy creates a very tender yet majestic musical about love and youth.

Cinematographer Jean Rabier does amazing work with the film‘s lush cinematography that is filled with vibrant colors and many shots to play out the beauty of the location as well as some of the melancholia that is prevalent in the film. Editors Anne-Marie Cotret and Monique Teisseire do excellent work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward to play to the rhythm of the song as well as a few montages and fade-outs to help play out the sense of changes that is happening. Production designer Bernard Evein does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the umbrella shop to some of the places in the town of Cherbourg to showcase a world that is lively in the late 50s to something more quiet later on.

Costume designer Jacqueline Moreau does a brilliant job with the costumes as it plays to the film‘s vibrant color schemes as well as the tone of the story to complement the mood of the characters. The sound work of Francois Musy is terrific for its low-key sound as well as creating a natural mix for the singing in the film. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is incredible as it’s this nice mix of lush orchestral music for the ballads along with a few jazz pieces and upbeat stuff to play along to the dialogue that is sung in the film.

The film’s marvelous cast includes some notable small performances from Jean Champion as Guy’s old boss Aubin and Mireille Perrey as Guy’s very maternal Aunt Elise. Marc Michel is terrific as the very charming Roland Cassard while Ellen Farner is wonderful as Aunt Elise’s longtime caretaker Madeleine who always had feelings for Guy. Anne Vernon is amazing as Genevieve’s mother as a woman who wants the best for her daughter while dealing with some of the chaos in her daughter’s life. Nino Castelnuovo is excellent as Guy as a young man who wants to give Genevieve a nice life only to be forced to join the army to fight the Algerian war where he returns a lost man trying to find some meaning in his life. Finally, there’s Catherine Deneuve in a radiant performance as Genevieve as Deneuve brings a very sensitive yet enchanting performance as a young woman whose life is changed by war as she faces an uncertain future but also one that is offered that can help her as it’s one of Deneuve’s great performances.

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg is a remarkable film from Jacques Demy that features an incredible performance from Catherine Deneuve. The film isn’t just one of the great films of the French New Wave but also a musical that is truly original as well as exciting to showcase a world of loss and hope. It’s also a film that plays into the hopes of youth and the realism they face as adults as it’s told with such style. In the end, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg is a magnificent film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2013

The 400 Blows

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/27/05 w/ Additional Edits.

Throughout the emergence of cinema, international cinema has always been dominated by Americans. After World War II, that all began to change as Europeans began to take over. The Italians begin to a new wave of neo-realism while Sweden found a hero in Ingmar Bergman. In France meanwhile, French cinema was going under a new re-emergence since the end of the World War II but amidst the numbers of American films that were coming, only a small group of film critics from the magazines Cahiers du Cinema were starting to feel oppressed by not just the lack of quality in American films but the lack of personal introspection in their native films. Thus, a new wave was about to emerge and leading the pack was Francois Truffaut.

Born in February 6, 1932, Truffaut along with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, Jacques Demy, and Eric Rohmer were writing serious, scathing reviews that attacked the farcical of American cinema with their mentor Andre Bazin. Though Truffaut left the magazine over tastes with Bazin, his reviews and knowledge had made him notorious to the point that the Cannes Film Festival would ban him because of his reviews. After making a few shorts, Truffaut was ready to make his feature film, an autobiographical story of a young boy who is misunderstood by the world as he rebels against authority in Les Quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows).

Written with Marcel Moussy, Les Quatre cents coups is a drama about a misunderstood child named Antonie Doinel. Feeling troubled by his bickering parents and tormented by an insensitive teacher, Doinel rebels and tries to live life on his own terms through watching films and getting into trouble. Playing the troubled kid is Jean-Pierre Leaud who brings a youthful study of a kid who isn’t sure why he does all the things he does and why he defies his parents. Based on Truffaut's own life, the film is one of the first of many landmark features of the French New Wave that would change the face of not just French cinema but also International cinema in the years to come. Also starring Robert Beauvis, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decomble, Patrick Auffay, with guest appearances from Jeanne Moreau and Jacques Demy. Les Quatre cents coups is a brilliant, whimsical drama from one of French Cinema's most enduring figures.

For the young Antoine Doinel, he is really a misunderstood child only understood by his best friend and schoolmate Rene (Patrick Auffay). In school, Doinel often gets in trouble, even if he hadn't done anything in front of his insensitive, strict teacher (Guy Decomble) who Antoine often calls Sourpuss. Even one of Antoine's schoolmates would often get him in trouble as Rene often calls that kid a rat. At home, Antoine's life isn't any better since the behavior of his parents would often shift from love to hate. On this particular day, it's his mother (Claire Maurier) that would be mean to him for not getting flour for dinner and love from his father (Albert Remy).

With Rene, Antoine skips school to go to the cinema and go to a funfair where they would be seen by Antoine's mother with another man and the rat kid who often wears goggle-like glasses. Antoine and his mother never said anything until the kid tells Antoine's father that he missed school and Antoine got into trouble. Forced to be out of the house, Antoine would live in a printing plant for the night where he would go out to steal milk or help a woman (Jeanne Moreau) to find a dog. Antoine returns to school where his mother takes him home after making a deal with the schoolmaster (Robert Beauvais). Antoine's mother asks him to be good by writing an essay for his class and if it makes it to the top 5, she gives him 1000 Francs. Antoine gets an idea while his father cools down a bit as he takes the family to the cinema.

Antoine seems to make good but his teacher claims the essay he wrote is a copy of the works of Balzac which Antoine denies. Antoine runs away again with the help of Rene as he lives secretly in an unused room of Rene's home. The two decide to cause more trouble and Rene has an idea to steal something that would make them a lot of money. Antoine suggests his father's typewriter but after a sale falls apart, Antoine tries to return the typewriter only to be caught by his father. Being taken to a policeman (Jacques Remy) and the commissioner (Folco Jacques Monod), Antoine goes to jail as the commissioner suggests that he is to be taken to a detention center for young juveniles. Antoine tries to understand his own behavior through a psychiatrist while revealing a dark family secret as his mother makes a brief visit with Antoine pondering his own destination.

While most coming-of-age stories seem to have some formula of a child growing up, in Truffaut's approach, it's more of a study of behavior and motives as he is trying to figure out what he did wrong in his own life. It's Truffaut commenting on his own childhood with the help of a confidant in Marcel Moussy as they try to figure out what good is in young Antoine Doinel and why does he do all of these bad things to his parents. The story from Truffaut and Moussy is very realistic in how a kid can be affected by bickering parents, an insensitive teacher, and everything else with only another kid at his side to find some answers and trouble. It's a very powerful story with an ending that really leaves things hanging but that is another story.

If the script that Truffaut and Moussy has concocted is the source of the film, there’s also Truffaut's directing style which is a bit documentary-like but also featuring some of the traditional frameworks of modern-day cinema. Using his script as a source, Truffaut goes for shots as if he is another person watching while there's some great shooting sequences including the famous scene of Doinel in the spinning ride where the camera moves in circles. There's also that final shot that is often imitated with that final freeze-frame shot and the word Fin (The End) appearing.

Helping Truffaut in the directing is cinematographer Henri Decae for bringing a natural, somewhat grainy black-and-white look to the film. With art director Bernard Evein, the film has a very realistic look on the locations and street life of Paris while editor Marie-Joseph Yoyette gives the film a rhythmic, jump-cut editing style on some sequences with traditional dissolving cuts. Finally, there's Jean Constantin's playful, innocent score that gives the film a sense of youthful vibrancy and melancholy in the dramatic sequences.

With a wonderful cast that includes standout performances from the children plus memorable cameos from Truffaut, Jacques Demy, and Jeanne Moreau, who would star in Truffaut's 1962 film Jules & Jim. The performances of Claire Maurier and Albert Remy as Antoine Doinel's bickering parents are wonderfully complex as loving yet flawed parents who don't understand their son while are desperate to make him good only to be destroyed by a family secret. Maurier gives the more memorable of the two, especially in the film's final moments when she confronts her son. Robert Beauvis and Folco Jacques Monod are memorable in their appearances as the respective authority figures of schoolmaster and commissioner who aren't mean but are trying to understand Doinel. The two best supporting performances come from Guy Decomble as the insensitive teacher with his cruelty to the children and Patrick Auffay as Rene, the only confidant that Doinel has who too has an affinity for trouble and rebellion but unlike Doinel, he seems to come from a more comforting home than the one that Doinel has in a wonderful, calculating performance.

Finally, there's the young Jean-Pierre Leaud who gives a brilliant performance in the complex role of Antoine Doinel. Leaud gives the kid a bit of sympathy but also a bit of sleaziness. Leaud makes sure that Doinel isn't a good kid or a bad kid but he's a bit of both. He makes Doinel someone many kids can relate to, he hates school, his parents are a mess, he has an awful teacher, and he can’t stand authority. Yet, he has dreams and escapes that every kid has. By the time the film goes, we see Leaud trying to understand this kid as he is playing him and wondering, why is he unhappy, why does he do all of these things. It's truly a mesmerizing performance.

When Les Quatre cents coups came out at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, removing the ban off of Truffaut, the film was an international hit as Truffaut won Best Director while the film helped open the door for brand new, introspective films to come as part of the French New Wave. With Truffaut also contributing to Jean-Luc Godard's A Bout de Souffle, The film's wide acclaim would help get across to America where Truffaut and co-writer Marcel Moussy both received Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay.

Truffaut would create many more films to come including Jules & Jim, Shoot the Piano Player, Day for Night, Wild Child, The Last Metro, and Two English Girls while appearing in Steven Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind before his death in 1983. Truffaut would continue the story of Antoine Doinel with Leaud in the role including the 1962 short Antoine et Colette, 1968's Stolen Kisses, 1970's Bed & Board, and 1979's Love on the Run. Leaud meanwhile continues to find success as an actor appearing in films for Bernardo Bertolucci and Jean-Luc Godard while being an icon in French cinema when in 2003, he played himself in the recreating of a speech in Bertolucci's tribute to French cinema in The Dreamers.

While a bit more conventional but less stylized than Godard’s debut film A Bout de Souffle, Les Quatre cents coups is still a landmark film from the French New Wave. Thanks to Francois Truffaut's mesmerizing directing and storytelling and the performance of Jean-Pierre Leaud, this film is a wonderful introduction to French Cinema and the works of Truffaut. More than 40 years since its release, this film still holds up for its approach to storytelling and character study as the movie still resonates with an audience, notably its idea of youth. With Les Quatre cents coups, it's a great place to start for those interested in French Cinema.

Francois Truffaut Films: Shoot the Piano Player - Jules & Jim - Antoine & Colette - The Soft Skin - Fahrenheit 451 - The Bride Wore Black - Stolen Kisses - Mississippi Mermaid - The Wild Child - Bed and Board - Two English Girls - Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me - Day for Night - The Story of Adele H. - Small Change - The Man Who Loved Women - The Green Room - Love on the Run - The Last Metro - The Woman Next Door - Confidentially Yours

(The Auteurs #40: Francois Truffaut (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2))

© thevoid99 2011