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| Zero chemistry: Simone Signoret and Alain Delon |
In 1934 France an escaped prisoner, Jean (Alain Delon), encounters a middle-aged widow named Mrs. Couderc (Simone Signoret) and goes to work for her. The widow is hated by her in-laws, who live nearby, and is herself not too found of the young unwed mother, Felicie (Ottavia Piccolo), who runs around with her adorable baby in tow and catches Jean's eye. Jean and the widow begin an improbable relationship that has people in the village gossiping, and the in-laws out to expose the truth about Jean. Since few people wanted to see French sex symbol Delon [Joy House] carrying on with the now matronly and chubby Signoret [Games], the two are only seen in bed together once, when they are merely cuddling. The acting isn't bad, but if the characters had been better developed this might have been more convincing. As a romance it doesn't work at all. This is based on a novel by mystery writer Georges Simenon but it is neither a thriller nor a suspense yarn. The final subtitles providing some more information about Jean are so badly translated that they make absolutely no sense.
Verdict: Another disappointing Delon feature. **.
Agreed, I will skip this one. This was the era when France did all those very boring bucolic farm pictures where nothing exciting ever happens! I believe Signoret's husband Yves Montand did one like this around this time, and it too was a snooze.
ReplyDelete-Chris
Very funny comments, Chris!
ReplyDeleteI certainly disagree with the verdict. It is after all Alain Delon and Simone Signoret. There was a man who has been imprisoned for years. He is not really escaping, he is taking a last taste at life. He is working to feel his muscles he is feeling flesh and being loved. He is loving the old woman and the young. Was he in love with the old woman? I would not believe that, but he is a man without a future. He has no idea how long he has and he is feeling the sun on his face, before he dies...like Thelma and Louise...,but not.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments, Dealt. But just the fact that Delon and Signoret are in the movie doesn't automatically make it a great picture, at least in my opinion. I wish the characters had been better developed, along with the storyline. Sometimes a film strikes a particular chord in a viewer that makes the film seem better than it is -- I've no doubt thats happened with me at times.
ReplyDeleteBut in any case, it's all subjective anyway. This film didn't work for me, but it worked for you so you probably enjoyed it a lot more than I did! Good!
Thanks for your comments!
Wow, i actually thought it was pretty good, except for its ending. The book was way more darker than the film. But both Alain Delon and Simone Signoret were giving stunning performances.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. You've made me curious about looking for and reading the original novel!
ReplyDeleteOh please do! The original ending is vastly different from the film.
ReplyDelete