Movie spotlight
Français, si vous saviez
This almost 8 hour humongous 1973 documentary by two of the filmmakers who made The Sorrow and the Pity recounts fifty years of the history of France from the 1920s to 1972. It is particularly thorough in documenting the significance and rise to power of Charles De Gaulle. The film's most valuable contributions are its interviews with all sorts of people who lived through this period of history, from Marshall Petain's lawyer (Petain headed the Vichy government of occupied France) to resistance figures, and Frenchmen who fought on the side of the Nazis in Russia.
Insights
Plot Summary
A bourgeois couple, Pierre and Catherine, find their lives disrupted by a series of erotic encounters and misunderstandings. The film explores themes of desire, infidelity, and societal expectations within a comedic framework. As they navigate these situations, their conventional lives begin to unravel in unexpected ways.
Critical Reception
The film received a mixed to negative reception from critics, who often found its attempts at humor and eroticism to be lacking in sophistication and effectiveness. Audience reception was also polarized, with some appreciating its lighthearted and risqué nature, while others found it to be shallow or uninspired. It is not widely considered a significant contribution to French cinema.
What Reviewers Say
Criticized for its predictable plot and uninspired direction.
The humor was often seen as forced, and the erotic elements failed to ignite interest.
Despite a recognizable cast, the film was generally considered a forgettable entry in the genre.
Google audience: Audience reviews are scarce and generally reflect a lack of strong opinions, with many viewers finding the film to be a mildly entertaining but ultimately unremarkable erotic comedy.
Fun Fact
Although Alain Delon is listed in the main cast, his appearance in the film is a cameo and he had a very minor role.
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