Le Jour et la nuit (1997)
Directed by Bernard-Henri Lévy

Film Review

After his 1994 documentary film Bosna, the distinguished philosopher and writer, Bernard-Henri Lévy had the opportunity in 1996 to fulfil his ambition to make a major film production, with a star-studied cast and exotic locations.  With all the talent and funding that came his way, it is quite remarkable how he could have ended up making one of the most appalling French films of the 1990s.   The quality of the film was such that it not only effectively ended Lévy's own career as a film-maker but it also hastened the decline of its lead actor, Alain Delon.

Le Jour et la nuit was just one in a series of film in which Delon starred in the 1980s and 1990s which failed spectacularly at the box office.  Such humiliating and very public failures ultimately compelled the legendary actor to give up appearing in films in the late 1990s.  Le jour et la nuit was not only a major commercial flop, but it was torn to shreds by the critics.  When it premiered at the Cannes film festival in 1997, the film provoked an uproar of negative criticism, being cited as a near-perfect example of how not to make a film.

The most frustrating thing about Le Jour et la nuit is that it ought to have been a good film.  It begins well enough, with some beautiful panoramic shots of Mexico and some scenes which capture the atmosphere and mood of the country quite well.  But, having established its location, the film fails to develop any further and does very little to engage the audience's interest.  All of the characters in the film mange to be both superficial and either insufferably arrogant or incredibly stupid, whilst the plot (involving an improbable love affair between an ageing writer and a young actress) is rambling and totally unconvincing.  In addition, the construction of the film is immensely irritating, as it switches sporadically between the main plot involving the writer and the subplot of a popular revolution.

Technically, Le jour et la nuit ought to be an acceptable film - it shows some reasonable production values and the acting is not particularly bad.  Where the film fails is that it is too self-confident and that it treats its audience with contempt - this being apparent in the script (with both dialogue and characterisation being particularly weak) and also some of the voyeuristic sequences (cheap erotica which seems to have been lifted from a third-rate porn movie).  Even the film's dramatic conclusion is unable to provoke the correct response - far from stunning its audience into solemn reflection it is more likely to provoke an impromptu bout of hysterics.

Film Synopsis

A film producer, Filippi, and his leading actress, Laure, arrive in a region of Mexico to try to persuade a retired writer, Alexandre, to agree to a film adaptation of his first novel. Alexandre lives in a sumptuous hacienda with his young wife, her lover, and an odd assortment of old friends and acquaintances.   Whilst Alexandre ruminates on Filippi's proposal, he finds himself irresistibly attracted to Laure.   Meanwhile, the local people are preparing for an armed uprising…