Clair de femme is not the kind of film you would
associate with director Costa-Gavras. Best known for his high profile political
thrillers, such as Z
(1969) and État
de siege (1973), Costa-Gavras also directed this low-key romantic drama, which
brings together two icons of French cinema, Yves Montand and Romy Schneider (both in the
twilight of their film careers). Although it is far from being the director's
best film, it was a significant commercial success in France.
This is the kind of film which the French tend to do very well - a slow-paced,
character-driven drama in which a middle aged man and woman fall in love in the midst
of the worst kind of mid-life crisis. If Claude Sautet had directed this film, it
would probably have been a masterpiece. Lacking experience with this genre of film,
Costa-Gavras gives us a significantly lesser work, but one which is nonetheless poignant
- and occasionally insightful. Romy Schneider's performance is particularly
memorable, with the actress exposing a far darker and more tortured soul than ever before
- a reflection of her troubled personal life at the time or a presentiment of the
the greater tragedy that was to come?
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Next Costa-Gavras film: Missing (1982)
Film Synopsis
Michel finds himself at a loose end, walking the streets one night as his
wife lies slowly dying from an incurable malady. Unable to bear the
pain of her illness any longer, Michel's wife has decided to end her life,
but before doing so she implores her husband to seek out another love after
she has gone and make a new life for himself. Michel's plan is to leave
France and take a plane to Caracas, but when he arrives at the airport he
has second thoughts. As he drifts around Paris contemplating his future
Michel comes into contact with Lydia, a middle-aged woman who has her own
share of woes. Lydia has recently lost her daughter in a car
accident, the same accident which resulted in her husband sustaining crippling
cerebral injuries. It appears to be a providential encounter - two
lost souls desperately in need of affection and emotional support - but is
Lydia really the ideal replacement partner that his wife had envisaged for
him, or merely a fleeting encounter, destined to vanish from his life in
the morning...?
Cast:Yves Montand (Michel Follin),
Romy Schneider (Lydia Tovalski),
Romolo Valli (Galba),
Lila Kedrova (Sonia Tovalski),
Heinz Bennent (Georges),
Roberto Benigni (Le barman du Clapsy's),
Dieter Schidor (Sven Svensson),
Catherine Allégret (La prostituée),
François Perrot (Alain),
Daniel Mesguich (Commissaire Curbec),
Gabriel Jabbour (Sacha),
Hans Verner (Klaus, l'ambassadeur),
Jean-Claude Bouillaud (Le pilote de ligne),
Gabriel Dussurget (Le directeur des théâtres lyriques),
Jean-François Gobbi (Le beau-frère),
Fanny Delbrice (La garde-malade),
André Dumas (Jacques),
Jacques Dynam (Le taxi malaimable),
Michèle Lituac (La serveuse portugaise),
Philippe Manesse (Le taxi qui réclame son argent)
Country: France / Italy / West Germany
Language: French
Support: Color
Runtime: 105 min
Aka:Womanlight
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