A Man and a Woman
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Movie Reviews of A Man and a Woman
Movie Review: Amour Toujours
Summary: 5 Stars
I never would have visited France (especially the hilly Parisian town of Montmartre, where Aimee's Woman lives) or taken a second chance on love, on loving a man again, had I not viewed "Un Homme et Une Femme." I first rented the movie in my mid-20s and re-rented it (including the English-dubbed version on VHS, which I do not like) countless times before finally purchasing it.
Monsieur Lelouch's cinematic narrative technique is poignant in his artful use of black-and-white scenes to display the bare-naked truth of humanity and, especially, his use of vividly colorful scenes to capture haunting memories. How affecting are these sunlight-filled and music-laden memories, from the man's and the woman's quotidian moments with their now-dead loves-of-a-lifetime, as well as recollections of those spouses' demise to the couple's idyllic moments with their children in the resort town of Deauville. You might recall the "family's" day trip on "the boat" and the stroll along the shore. The film's contrasts are lovely, including: b&w vs. color; innocence (the pair's children) vs. experience (the pair themselves), etc. The most obvious counterpoint is male and female: Man vs. Woman; Boy vs. Girl (i.e., Antoine vs. Francoise). I also love the pair's stark reserve (think of the lack of emotion after they finish making love at the Normandy Hotel) vs. their effusive emotion (think about the uncontrolled happiness when Trintignant's Man drives many miles from the Montecarlo race, after unexpectedly winning and receiving a telegram from Aimee's Woman ending with, "I love you," to find his femme. When he does find her, with the help of the children's boarding-school teacher, she is playing with les enfants on the beach. He steps out of his winning racecar, not caring how dirty it is after driving north from the South of France, and flashes his headlights. How beautiful it is when all four of them begin smiling, laughing and spinning around in absolute wonder and happiness -- all to the dream-scat score from Francis Lai's vibrant imagination. When I am feeling happy, my mind turns to that "dubba-dubba-da" theme. Does yours, too?
The images, the language (ah-h-h, le francais!), the romance, the music and the fashions, plus the many messages, both subtle and concrete, of the importance of truth and frankness in the existence of love, the wholeness of Beingness and the desire to live in the present (and love the one you're with) -- all of this makes "Un Homme et Une Femme" a film that I and many others will cherish forever.
Movie Review: Classic 1960s French Romance--Get the non-dubbed version
Summary: 5 Stars
This classic French '60s film directed by Claude Lelouche and starring Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant is a triumph. The '60s feel of the film is the most striking aspect. The dialogue and plot are deceptively simple while Francis Lai's (Love Story Theme) soundtrack rises to the atmosphere setting occassion.
It's understandable why some may find this slow moving, schmaltzy, Eurotrashy, etc., but one has to look behind what's apparent to glimpse some magic cinematic moments. Of course the other negative is the dubbed English. Someday I'll see the original version, but 'til then I can overlook that fault. On one level the film explores the synchronicity between Anne and Jean-Louis from their backstories to the on screen juxtaposing. Needless to say this towers over junk like "Serendipity". But it's the theme music that really brings it all together, especially the great final scene at the train station. There's a feel of spontaneity to the film; it really captures 1966 France.
And if you let yourself delve into the emotion, romance, and impressionism you'll too be able to appreciate some great cinema.
On a sad note Jean-Louis Trintignant's daughter Marie, the famous French actress was killed last year by boyfrined rocker Bertrand Cantat. Jean-Louis first starred with Brigitte Bardot in 1956's "And God Created Woman".
Movie Review: The scent of love!
Summary: 5 Stars
The French New Wave nourished the febrile imagination of three generations: the First one was constituted by the pioneers: Truffaut, Godard and Chabrol `s first stage; the second one with Malle, Rohmer, Resnais and Alain Robbe Grillet; and the third one with Claude Lelouch, Chabrol `s second stage and Pierre Granier Deferre.
But Louis Malle, (since Le feu follet), Erick Rohmer, jean Pierre Melville and Robert Bresson explored each one to his own criterions, several and well different aspects of the life, the French New Wave experimented a necessary evolution in what its tasks concern.
Lelouch explored the sentimental vein and made a glorious autumnal glance around a couple who live in a crossroad stage of their lives and the transitional historical moment. The simple love story is made with such conviction power and steeled conviction that became an icon by itself.
An eternal beloved picture and reverenced for many people around the world.
Movie Review: Why this has become my favorite movie ever made
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never seen a movie that depicts such tenderness not only between lovers but between a parents and children. The music and scenery are simply gorgeous. There is not much plot here - the magic in this movie lies in the characters and the atmosphere created by the music and the scenery of the northern coast of France. When the movie came out, the extended scenes of simply music and scenery without dialogue was a groundbreaking in cinema history and this technique was immediately utilized in such classic films as Easy Rider and The Graduate. The DVD has added features including a documentary on the making of the film and an interview with the director, Claude Lelouche. This movie is so timeless - it's hard to believe it was made almost forty years ago. The movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and Best Screenplay. It certainly ranks as one of the most romantic and groundbreaking movies ever made.Movie Review: The best movie ever 5 Stars
I first saw this movie in 1966, and was blown away by it's story line and camera work. I recently discovered the DVD and found that after forty years, it has stood the test of time. It is even better seeing it through the eyes of a sixty-one year old, then it was the first time.Claude LeLouch raised the bar for cinema with this one. Many of the camera tricks introduced (through necessity)in this movie...later became the standard for exceptional film making.
The story of the making of the film is a welcome added bonus to this DVD. To see Claude belted to a lawn chair, on the hood of a 1957 Buick, holding a big camera, in the that brand new Ford GT40, at 100 MPH.........is worth the price of this DVD, alone.
The music is world class, too. Buy the sound track, and enjoy the movie all over again.
George M.
Hawaii