A movie which is forgotten in its native France but seems to enjoy a small cult abroad,notably in Japan.
Let's be straight about it:"psychological drama" is too good an expression to depict this Harlequin romance :it's actually the umpteenth story of the young lad who thinks he will live a Grand Amour with a seasoned woman,and who,after sufferings (so to speak) ,has learned to be a man and to become responsible ;some did it well before it,and did it much better ("LE Diable Au Cur" " Le Blé En Herbe"(Autant-Lara).As would do Mauro Bolognini in "Un Bellissimo Novembre" in 1969.
The soft eroticism today would not even be rated PG12 (when the movie was released it got a NC-18,which urged the teenagers to see it ).
When I write "sufferings" ,well....Olivier belongs to the high bourgeoisie and is truly a spoilt rich kid: the movie made certainly most of the French sixties audience drool,and not only for Nathalie Delon 's perfect body -furtive nudity-: luxury apartment,his own TV set -which was extremely rare in 1968-,winter sports in Avoriaz ,one of the swankiest ski resorts,in a four-star hotel -a sign reads (twice):"Hotel Des Dromonts ****-.So it must have been hard ,for the average teenager of the era ,to relate to this way of life and to feel sympathy for his heartache .
This aspect of the movie is interesting,because it shows the upper classes in a way diametrically opposite to that of Claude Chabrol.One should also notice that although the movie was made in the very year of 1968,all these students are non political:Olivier's mates talk about a meeting in high school " Louis Le Grand" but the subject remains very vague ;only Delon's character seems to indicate that something has changed in the Wake of woman's lib,but the ending leaves no hope: back in Robert Hossein's (why did this talented actor get involved in that business?-arms ,she will soon become a housewife and a socialite (ain't her daddy a consul?).
The score by Francis Lai is syrupy and accentuates the mawkishness of the screenplay.
About the actors: Renaud Verley (b.1945) was Bernard Verley's brother;after several indifferent movies -including the abysmal hippie movie "Chemins De Kathmandu" -he was finally cast in a masterpiece :" "La Caduti Dei Degli" by Visconti ,but first -class actors such as Dirk Bogarde ,Ingrid Thulin and Helmut Berger drowned him out;he has never found a great part since.
Bernard Le Coq (b.1950),less cute than Verley,serves as a foil to him in Boisrond's movie;but he enjoyed a more successful career than his co-star ,mainly in TV works.
Like this ? try this......
"La Liberte En Croupe" : Boisrond jumps on the bandwagon and cowardly treats the events of May 68 ;feat. Bernard Le Coq as the lead ,this time.
Let's be straight about it:"psychological drama" is too good an expression to depict this Harlequin romance :it's actually the umpteenth story of the young lad who thinks he will live a Grand Amour with a seasoned woman,and who,after sufferings (so to speak) ,has learned to be a man and to become responsible ;some did it well before it,and did it much better ("LE Diable Au Cur" " Le Blé En Herbe"(Autant-Lara).As would do Mauro Bolognini in "Un Bellissimo Novembre" in 1969.
The soft eroticism today would not even be rated PG12 (when the movie was released it got a NC-18,which urged the teenagers to see it ).
When I write "sufferings" ,well....Olivier belongs to the high bourgeoisie and is truly a spoilt rich kid: the movie made certainly most of the French sixties audience drool,and not only for Nathalie Delon 's perfect body -furtive nudity-: luxury apartment,his own TV set -which was extremely rare in 1968-,winter sports in Avoriaz ,one of the swankiest ski resorts,in a four-star hotel -a sign reads (twice):"Hotel Des Dromonts ****-.So it must have been hard ,for the average teenager of the era ,to relate to this way of life and to feel sympathy for his heartache .
This aspect of the movie is interesting,because it shows the upper classes in a way diametrically opposite to that of Claude Chabrol.One should also notice that although the movie was made in the very year of 1968,all these students are non political:Olivier's mates talk about a meeting in high school " Louis Le Grand" but the subject remains very vague ;only Delon's character seems to indicate that something has changed in the Wake of woman's lib,but the ending leaves no hope: back in Robert Hossein's (why did this talented actor get involved in that business?-arms ,she will soon become a housewife and a socialite (ain't her daddy a consul?).
The score by Francis Lai is syrupy and accentuates the mawkishness of the screenplay.
About the actors: Renaud Verley (b.1945) was Bernard Verley's brother;after several indifferent movies -including the abysmal hippie movie "Chemins De Kathmandu" -he was finally cast in a masterpiece :" "La Caduti Dei Degli" by Visconti ,but first -class actors such as Dirk Bogarde ,Ingrid Thulin and Helmut Berger drowned him out;he has never found a great part since.
Bernard Le Coq (b.1950),less cute than Verley,serves as a foil to him in Boisrond's movie;but he enjoyed a more successful career than his co-star ,mainly in TV works.
Like this ? try this......
"La Liberte En Croupe" : Boisrond jumps on the bandwagon and cowardly treats the events of May 68 ;feat. Bernard Le Coq as the lead ,this time.