Adieu Philippine (1962)
Country: FR
Technical: bw 106m
Director: Jacques Rozier
Cast: Jean-Claude Aimini, Stefania Sabatini, Yveline Céry, Vittorio Caprioli
Synopsis:
A TV technician waiting to do military service in Algeria picks up two girls outside the studio and over a period of weeks pursues a non-committal courtship of the pair, declining to share with his buddy, but doing nothing to break up the close friendship of the girls. Things come to a head during his last-ditch holiday in Corsica, when the girls come looking for him with news to his financial advantage, and he beds first one and then the other.
Review:
Rozier was notable for sustaining the unmistakable vibe of the Nouvelle Vague long after most directors had lost their freshness. This film captures much of the indolence of the younger generation of the period, the break with the expectations and moral standards of their parents, and adopts a freewheeling style in which some scenes contribute little to the overarching narrative and there is an unrehearsed authenticity to the characters. Despite the disjointed feel and occasional longueurs, Rozier and his cast succeed in creating a lasting impression of one of those summers of youth in which everything changes, and the vicissitudes of love offer little in the way of release or contentment. What is remarkable is that the girls remain firm friends to the last, despite Michel's dubious charms; modern audiences will unavoidably pick up on the sexism at play here, and the insensitivity that conventions of decency rendered implicit: he sleeps with the girls without so much as taking a shower between times. Nevertheless, it is Liliane and Juliette that we remember, for their well-meaning attempts to mother him, and for their resilience in sharing even their final leave-taking.
Country: FR
Technical: bw 106m
Director: Jacques Rozier
Cast: Jean-Claude Aimini, Stefania Sabatini, Yveline Céry, Vittorio Caprioli
Synopsis:
A TV technician waiting to do military service in Algeria picks up two girls outside the studio and over a period of weeks pursues a non-committal courtship of the pair, declining to share with his buddy, but doing nothing to break up the close friendship of the girls. Things come to a head during his last-ditch holiday in Corsica, when the girls come looking for him with news to his financial advantage, and he beds first one and then the other.
Review:
Rozier was notable for sustaining the unmistakable vibe of the Nouvelle Vague long after most directors had lost their freshness. This film captures much of the indolence of the younger generation of the period, the break with the expectations and moral standards of their parents, and adopts a freewheeling style in which some scenes contribute little to the overarching narrative and there is an unrehearsed authenticity to the characters. Despite the disjointed feel and occasional longueurs, Rozier and his cast succeed in creating a lasting impression of one of those summers of youth in which everything changes, and the vicissitudes of love offer little in the way of release or contentment. What is remarkable is that the girls remain firm friends to the last, despite Michel's dubious charms; modern audiences will unavoidably pick up on the sexism at play here, and the insensitivity that conventions of decency rendered implicit: he sleeps with the girls without so much as taking a shower between times. Nevertheless, it is Liliane and Juliette that we remember, for their well-meaning attempts to mother him, and for their resilience in sharing even their final leave-taking.
Country: FR
Technical: bw 106m
Director: Jacques Rozier
Cast: Jean-Claude Aimini, Stefania Sabatini, Yveline Céry, Vittorio Caprioli
Synopsis:
A TV technician waiting to do military service in Algeria picks up two girls outside the studio and over a period of weeks pursues a non-committal courtship of the pair, declining to share with his buddy, but doing nothing to break up the close friendship of the girls. Things come to a head during his last-ditch holiday in Corsica, when the girls come looking for him with news to his financial advantage, and he beds first one and then the other.
Review:
Rozier was notable for sustaining the unmistakable vibe of the Nouvelle Vague long after most directors had lost their freshness. This film captures much of the indolence of the younger generation of the period, the break with the expectations and moral standards of their parents, and adopts a freewheeling style in which some scenes contribute little to the overarching narrative and there is an unrehearsed authenticity to the characters. Despite the disjointed feel and occasional longueurs, Rozier and his cast succeed in creating a lasting impression of one of those summers of youth in which everything changes, and the vicissitudes of love offer little in the way of release or contentment. What is remarkable is that the girls remain firm friends to the last, despite Michel's dubious charms; modern audiences will unavoidably pick up on the sexism at play here, and the insensitivity that conventions of decency rendered implicit: he sleeps with the girls without so much as taking a shower between times. Nevertheless, it is Liliane and Juliette that we remember, for their well-meaning attempts to mother him, and for their resilience in sharing even their final leave-taking.