Film Review
Claude Sautet's final film is amongst his finest achievements, a dark, intriguing tale
of repressed love performed by two of France's most talented actors. It is a daring
film which relies almost exclusively on the ability of its two lead actors to portray
the complex interactions arising from an impossible love between a love-scarred young
woman and a timid, sedentary older man. That the film succeeds, and does so
admirably, is as much a testimony to Sautet's vision and courage as to the skill of his
actors. On its first release in France, the film was well received by both the public
and critics alike, and won two Césars (for best director and best actor).
The film is perfectly constructed, as compelling as a suspense thriller yet carrying the
tenderness of a true love story - except that all emotion is rigorously held back, creating
an almost unbearable sense of ambiguity and uncertainty.
The two lead actors are perfectly cast. Michel Serrault's detachment gives the film
an almost tragic dimension, although the character he plays is so complex that we never
fully sympathise with him. Likewise, Emanuelle Béart's character, Nelly,
is full of contradictions, preventing us from every really understanding what makes her
tick. It is magnificent role for Béart and her performance reveals a formidable
acting talent, full of subtlety and suppressed emotion. The two actors deliver a
remarkable, probably unique, cinematographic experience involving two contrasting characters
acting out a dangerous intellectual mating ritual which neither is able to go beyond.
Although, on the surface, a simple piece of cinema, conventionally made with no artistic
gimmickry,
Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud is undoubtedly a fascinating and profoundly
complex film. This complexity lies mainly in the subtext and the subtle visual cues,
something which, like a well-composed piece of music or a painting, allows anyone who
views the film to make his or her own interpretation. In his final parting shot,
Sautet reminds us that cinema genuinely
is a form of art - entertaining yet capable
of provoking thought and revealing new insights on life.
© James Travers 2000
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Next Claude Sautet film:
Bonjour sourire (1955)
Film Synopsis
Through a meeting with a friend, Nelly is introduced to a wealthy retired business man,
Monsieur Arnaud. Nelly talks a little about her life - she is married to an unemployed
layabout and, having lost a well-paid job, she is now heavily in arrears on her rent.
Arnaud offers to pay off her debts and, after some reflection, Nelly accepts. She
also agrees to help her benefactor type up his memoirs. As the young woman and the
old man get to know one another, a strange bond develops between them, tender, yet so
distant...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.