Le Parfum d’Yvonne (1994) - film review

A bewildered young man looks back into the embers of his past, trying to find some sense in what he has experienced.  In 1958, he sought refuge in Switzerland to avoid the Algerian war, posing as a Russian count, Victor Chmara.  In a hotel overlooking Lake Geneva he encountered the beautiful Yvonne, an aspiring actress.  From that first meeting, Victor and Yvonne appeared to be the perfect match.  Their happiness even brought some light into the life of an older man, René Meinthe, whose company they shared.  How brief their new-found happiness proved to be...

An exquisitely sensuous portrait of ephemeral love, Le Parfum d’Yvonne reaffirms director Patrice Leconte’s standing as the master of the erotic romantic drama.  As he did in his earlier film Le Mari de la coiffeuse (1989) and then in Monsieur Hire (1991), Leconte weaves a tale of tender poignancy and great poetry, making Le Parfum d’Yvonne a more than satisfactory final entry in this loose trilogy of tragic romantic dramas.

This is the kind of film which Patrice Leconte does best, and also the kind of film where he is rarely surpassed.  The way in which he manages to juggle the different moods, to arouse our emotions, without resorting to obvious manipulative methods, is indeed impressive.  You feel that a dark undercurrent of melancholia is constantly trying to break through, to obliterate the sun-drenched euphoria that is new-born love.  Inter-cutting a present experience with past recollections emphasises this, and creates a sense of oppressive tension which, whilst always present, doesn’t distract greatly from the main narrative strand.   Watching a Leconte love story is like watching a thriller – there is a terrible dread of the unexpected, a frisson of excitement at the unexpected plot developments, and then the sudden shock when the cruel denouement is suddenly unveiled.

As ever, Leconte is well-served by his actors; his trio of leading performers could hardly have been bettered.  Hippolyte Girardot brings great sensitivity and more than a touch of the Shakerspearean tragic hero to his part, whilst Sandra Majani, in (remarkably) her only screen role to date, is convincing as a perfect and unattainable object of desire.  Jean-Pierre Marielle completes the trio, playing an ageing and embittered gay man, a down-to-Earth character whose cynicism and self-loathing perfectly complement the idealised fantasising of the lovers he willingly chaperones.

Le Parfum d’Yvonne is a beautiful work, slowly paced but entirely absorbing.  It doesn’t quite have the originality or artistic brilliance of Le mari de la coiffeuse , but in many ways it is just as satisfying.  Unsentimental but intensely moving, erotic without ever appearing tacky, this film shows how a simple love story should be told to wreak maximum effect on its audience.  Truly, this is a film to savour.

© James Travers 2004

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