Peau de banane (1963) - film review

Cathy, a seductive young woman, decides to take revenge on two crooks, Bontemps and Lachard. These two are responsible for the bankruptcy and ruin of her father, and so she asks Michel, her ex-husband, to give her a helping hand. There is no other solution for them than to become crooks themselves, so they conceive a shady deal with Bontemps on a island in Brittany. The first part of their plan is a success and they leave with a huge sum of money. The second part is to take place in Monte Carlo, where they can expect a dramatic showdown with Lachard...
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)

On 30th October 1963, film director Marcel Ophüls, son of the great Max Ophüls (La Ronde, Madame de..., Lola montès) presented his second film Peau de banane, a Franco-Italian production based on a novel by Charles Williams.  After the unsuccessful La Mer à boire and the disappointing L’Ainé des ferchaux, the crime-comedy Peau de banane, written by film director Claude Sautet (Classe tous risques) and filmed by Marcel Ophüls and his assistant Costa-Gavras (Compartiment tueurs) brought actor Jean-Paul Belmondo the popular hit he needed.

Marcel Ophüls proves to be a worthy successor to his father and offers a skilful piece of work with a funny and very dynamic Belmondo teamed up with an irresistible and enchanting Jeanne Moreau (who sings the lovely ballad Embrasse-moi).  With our leading duo playing two sympathetic crooks, the supporting cast includes a pleasant Claude Brasseur and Jean-Pierre Marielle.  A special mention goes to Alain Cuny, a mainstay of French cinema (seen in Marcel Carné’s Les Visiteurs du soir) and also to German actor Gert Fröebe, who will later make an unforgettable Auric Goldfinger.  Peau de banane is a cheerful and inventive film with some inspired dialogue.  It has nice way of manipulating the viewer and keeping his attention by sending him down several wrong tracks.  However, it suffers from a lack of rhythm owing to the complexity of the plot.  Peau de banane was an immediate popular success, attracting an audience of two million in France.  It is now available on DVD.

© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2012

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