Summary
A young artistic photographer Jérémy needs money to finance an exhibition
of his work. He turns to Maurice, a lonely bachelor who will do almost anything
to buy Jérémy’s company. When his relationship with his girlfriend
starts to fall apart, the young photographer visits a peepshow and is at once struck by
the beauty of one of the performers, Otie. He uses the money Maurice gave him to
pay for further visits to the sex shop...
Review
With its bizarre bisexual love triangle and saucy eroticism, Cent francs l’amour
was one of the most unusual French romantic comedies of the 1980s. Although
the plot is somewhat implausible, the film makes some intelligent observations on the
nature of obsession and shows what lengths individuals are prepared to go to when hooked
by the power of love. Don’t be misled by the opening credit sequence, which gives
the impression of a cheap piece of Emmanuelle-style erotica.
The film stars Pierre-Loup Rajot, one of the sexiest French male actors of the day, a fact which both director and cinematographer exploit to the full. His co-star, Valérie Steffen, is not quite so impressive as an actress, but her Bardot-esque beauty makes her a convincing object of desire, and her peepshow sequences are the stuff of quality soft-core porn videos. Alluring as these two actors are, the best performances are from Richard Bohringer and Dominique Pinon. Bohringer’s restrained dramatic portrayal of a lonely middle-aged homosexual is full of pathos and bitterness, whilst Pinon is peculiarly convincing as the self-obsessed writer who turns to prostitution to make a quick buck.
© James Travers 2000
Write a review for this film...
The film stars Pierre-Loup Rajot, one of the sexiest French male actors of the day, a fact which both director and cinematographer exploit to the full. His co-star, Valérie Steffen, is not quite so impressive as an actress, but her Bardot-esque beauty makes her a convincing object of desire, and her peepshow sequences are the stuff of quality soft-core porn videos. Alluring as these two actors are, the best performances are from Richard Bohringer and Dominique Pinon. Bohringer’s restrained dramatic portrayal of a lonely middle-aged homosexual is full of pathos and bitterness, whilst Pinon is peculiarly convincing as the self-obsessed writer who turns to prostitution to make a quick buck.
© James Travers 2000
Write a review for this film...
User Comments
Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- The best French comedy-dramas
- Other French films of the 1980s
- The best French films of the 1980s
- Other French comedy-dramas
- Biography and films of Jacques Richard
To buy this film
Check DVD and Blu-ray availability:
Credits
- Director: Jacques Richard
- Script: Jacques Richard
- Photo: Dominique Le Rigoleur
- Music: Mort Shuman
- Cast: Richard Bohringer (Maurice Mainfroy), Pierre-Loup Rajot (Jeremy), Valérie Steffen (Otie), Sabine Delouvrier (Camille), Dominique Pinon (Tom), Hella Petri (Clara Moor), Paulette Dubost (Gracieuse), Dominique Besnehard (M. Kruk), André Chaumeau (Le vendeur Gilbert), Johan Corbeau (Le vendeur de voitures), Sophie d’Aulan (Karyn)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 89 min
- Aka: 100 francs l’amour
Similar films
If you like this film you may also like the following:- Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991)
- L’Amour fou (1969)
- Coeurs (2006)
- La Discrète (1990)
- Fin août, début septembre (1998)
- Gouttes d’eau sur pierres brûlantes (2000)
- Masculin, féminin (1966)
- Papa (2005)
- La Reine Margot (1994)
- Les Roseaux sauvages (1994)
- Section spéciale (1975)
- La Sirène du Mississippi (1969)
- Un homme et une femme (1966)
- Une partie de plaisir (1975)
Important French filmmakers






- François Truffaut
- Jean Cocteau
- Abel Gance
- Jacques Demy
- Jacques Rivette
- Jean Renoir
- Jean Grémillon
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Marcel Carné
- Claude Chabrol
- Claude Lelouch
- Réné Clair
- Marcel Pagnol
- Eric Rohmer
- François Ozon
- Bertrand Tavernier
- Bertrand Blier
- Claire Denis
- Jacques Tati
- Jacques Audiard
- Maurice Pialat
- Robert Guédiguian
To buy Cent francs l’amour:

Romance / Comedy / Drama


