L'Événement le plus important depuis que l'homme a marché sur la lune (1973)
Directed by Jacques Demy

Film Review

What began as a private joke between Jacques Demy and his wife Agnès Varda about the prospect of men giving birth ended as this sweet-natured role-reversal comedy starring real-life lovers Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni.  Whilst Demy doesn't get anywhere near to exploiting the full comic potential of the subject, the film is considerably better than the majority of subsequent films in which the role of men and women is reversed.  The main reason for this is Mastroianni's engaging performance, which brings a sense of realism to what is after all an absurd fantasy.  It's nice that Demy took the time to develop a semi-plausible theory as to why men should start having babies; doubtless if he made the film today, the answer would have something to do with genetically modified organisms.

The film's controversial subject matter, and possibly its ridiculously long title, may have contributed to its failure at the box office.  Unable to attract funding for a subsequent film in France, Jacques Demy ended up having to accept a commission from a Japanese production company for his next film, Lady Oscar (1978).

Film Synopsis

Marco Mazetti is a driving instructor who leads a happy and harmonious life with his attractive girlfriend Irène, the owner of a hairdressing salon.  Things could not be going better for Marco, but one day he begins experiencing sudden bouts of nausea for which there is no apparent explanation.  Naturally, he consults his doctor, but totally mystified by Marco's odd symptoms, he passes his patient on to his colleague Professor Chaumont de Latour, a gynaecologist.  The latter can hardly believe his own diagnosis when he finds that Marco is four months pregnant - the consequence, presumably, of some rare genetic mutation.  The professor's theory is that the male anatomy is undergoing slow but significant biological adjustments as a result of modern drugs and dietary changes.  As a result of this evolutionary quirk it seems that the time has come for men to start giving birth.  Marco has barely had time for this momentous revelation to sink in before he becomes a world-famous celebrity.  It isn't long before an army of publicists and manufacturers come his way, intent on profiting from his fame as the world's first pregnant man...