Un taxi mauve (1977) - film review

To heal a private wound, Philippe Marchal, a French writer, moves to the Irish countryside.  Here, he makes friends with a young American, Jerry Kean who left his own country after a tragic incident.  Philippe succumbs to the charms of Jerry’s sister, Sharon, whilst Jerry is attracted to the mysterious dumb daughter of the reclusive Mr Taubelman, a Russian exile who lives in a run-down castle.  Then there is a retired American doctor, Dr Scully, who drives a curious purple taxi…

Un taxi mauve makes a stark contrast to the kind of film that director Yves Boisset was making in the 1970s – tough, slightly cynical thrillers with a keen political edge.  This film is much lighter in tone than Boisset’s other work, a pleasing comedy-drama which explores the interactions between a disparate group of characters in a rural setting, and featuring an extraordinary international cast.  Fred Astaire makes one of his last film appearances, along side such luminaries as Peter Ustinov, Philippe Noiret and Charlotte Rampling.  Whilst the plotting is a little heavy (making the point that this really isn’t Boisset’s genre), the exquisite performances and some stunning location photography make it an attractive cinematic treat.

© James Travers 2004

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