Les Lions sont lâchés (1961) - film review

Bored of her husband and her humdrum life in the country, Albertine is seriously contemplating a divorce, so she sets out for a short stay in Paris to mull things over.  There, she is greeted by her friend Cécile, an elegant and refined young woman who is both happily married and a fully paid up member of the Parisian jet set.  Cécile takes Albertine to a high class party where she introduces her to several interesting people: Didier Mareze, a young writer with a lively spirit; the brillant Dr Challenberg and his wealthy wife Hélène; and Marie-Laure, Cécile’s snobbish cousin.  When Albertine starts an affair with Didier, she doesn’t yet know that he is only the first untamed lion the city has to offer her...
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)

After two months of filming, Parisians could watch (on 20th September 1961) the new Henri Verneuil film Les Lions sont lachés (Lions are loose) at the Colisée and Marivaux cinémas on the Champs-Elysées.   Astutely adapted from an erotic book by Françoise Parturier and Josette Raoul Duval under the name of Nicole, this black and white film is a light, cheerful and yet turbulent dramatic comedy, considered as a satire of Parisian high society.  As a Franco-Italian production, Jean-Claude Brialy, Danielle Darrieux, Michèle Morgan and Lino Ventura agreed to be four of the main characters, but Verneuil needed an Italian actress to be the link between the others and chose the beautiful Claudia Cardinale, who was a big star in Italy and could enter the French market with this picture.  The dialogue of master Michel Audiard would certainly have been a must for such a colourful crew. 

The film was a popular success, with two million spectators in France.  The critics however were divided.  For some, it was a dream cast wasted on a loud and boring piece of vaudeville, a flat script with an impertinent joviality or a flagrant dullness.  Only Claudia Cardinale brings a little authenticity to the story.  For others, Verneuil’s filmmaking is as sophisticated as ever and Michel Audiard’s dialogue is clever, rich and spicy.  The actors are all perfect, with a special mention for Danielle Darrieux, who makes an unbearable bitch.  It was because the movie shows a married woman having affairs with several men (and not the cameo appearance by singer Charles Aznavour) that some prudish critics rated this film "not suited for people under 18 years".

© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2012

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