Forget about Les Galettes de Pont-Aven, Joel Seria's previous film featuring Jean-Pierre Marielle. The latter is here in ace shape, performing as a refrigerator repair master who quits his job and bakery owner wife to live a gigolo's life with sexy butcher shop owner Sophie Daumier - a bacon and bean sauce version of Brigitte Bardot. The action takes place in the mid-seventies provincial France. Cruel, desperate, and hilarious from beginning to end.
3 Reviews
Bravura performance from Jean-Pierre Marielle
Charlot4719 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Delightful bravura performance from Jean-Pierre Marielle as a French type, a man among men, full of mouth (his vivid and colourful speech a joy to hear), fond of a glass, ready with his fists, and would-be mighty lover. Though he enjoys successes with women, for a time, reality does not live up to his self-image.
The film shows us five chapters of his love life: first a failed marriage to the pastry shop owner; second a failed relationship with the butchery shop owner; third a marriage to the rejected mistress of the man who took his second partner; fourth rejecting the approaches of a music teacher; and fifth his wife making approaches to a lad half his age.
Whether age will mellow him into acceptance of things as they are, or whether his limited views on women will condemn him to more disappointment, we cannot know. But I found the journey enjoyable.
The film shows us five chapters of his love life: first a failed marriage to the pastry shop owner; second a failed relationship with the butchery shop owner; third a marriage to the rejected mistress of the man who took his second partner; fourth rejecting the approaches of a music teacher; and fifth his wife making approaches to a lad half his age.
Whether age will mellow him into acceptance of things as they are, or whether his limited views on women will condemn him to more disappointment, we cannot know. But I found the journey enjoyable.
Jean-Pierre Marielle at his best
searchanddestroy-18 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It's one of the best of Jean-Pierre Marielle's movies, even not the most famous. I find it's far better that LES GALETTES DE PONT AVEN. Far more cruel and ironic. Marielle is here the perfect asshole, the man with no respect for women, who treats them as pieces of meat, no more. His character id delicious of ugliness and mediocrity. I have always loved the films he was involved in. This one is fast paced with no length at all. The characters all very effective. This true portrait of the real common french behaviour. I think there are more films starring Marielle I have not seen yet. This story shows the idiot and scornful Marielle getting trapped in his own trap. And without being aware of it !!!
Terrific.
Terrific.
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