L’Événement le plus important depuis que l’homme a marché sur la lune (1973) - film review

Marco Mazetti, a driving school instructor, has a harmonious life with his girlfriend Irène, the owner of a hairdresser’s salon, and their young son.  Then, one day, Marco begins to experience inexplicable bouts of nausea.  On the advice of Irène’s doctor, he is sent to see the eminent gynaecologist Professor Chaumont who discovers that he is fourth months pregnant.  Marco is incredulous but Chaumont has the explanation.  His theory is that modern drugs and food processing is inducing an evolutionary change in the human species.  The time has come for men to start giving birth!

What began as a private joke between Jacques Demy and his wife Agnès Varda about the prospect of men giving birth ended as this sweet-natured role-reversal comedy starring real-life lovers Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni.  Whilst Demy doesn’t get anywhere near to exploiting the full comic potential of the subject, the film is considerably better than the majority of subsequent films in which the role of men and women is reversed.  The main reason for this is Mastroianni’s engaging performance, which brings a sense of realism to what is after all an absurd fantasy.  It’s nice that Demy took the time to develop a semi-plausible theory as to why men should start having babies; doubtless if he made the film today, the answer would have something to do with genetically modified organisms.

The film’s controversial subject matter, and possibly its ridiculously long title, may have contributed to its failure at the box office.  Unable to attract funding for a subsequent film in France, Jacques Demy ended up having to accept a commission from a Japanese production company for his next film, Lady Oscar (1978).

© James Travers 2006

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