Film Review
The 1970s was a busy decade for Claude Lelouch. Buoyed up by the success of
Un homme et une femme (1966),
which won him the Palme d'Or at Cannes, this most flamboyant of French filmmakers
of the New Wave era churned out films with a manic artistry that confused the
critics whilst seducing audiences, most probably because of the big names
at the top of the cast list.
Si c'était à refaire is
one of the more restrained films that Lelouch made in the 1970s, a downbeat drama
in which a convicted criminal attempts to rebuild her life
after a long period of incarceration. In the hands of a more serious filmmaker
twenty years on, this would have doubtless ended up as a gritty auteur piece, but Lelouch
makes it something more akin to a fairytale, with a happy ending almost
guaranteed from the outset.
Catherine Deneuve is well-suited to play the lead in a quirky fairytale, having
already fulfilled this role already in three of Jacques Demy's films (notably
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964)),
and after getting Marcello Mastroianni pregnant in another Demy film
(
L'Événement le plus important depuis que l'homme a marché sur la lune),
starring in a Claude Lelouch film was the obvious next step in her career.
Deneuve turns out to be the best thing the film has going for it, her solid
performance grounding the story in a tangible reality which the director seems determined
to undercut with his usual cinematographic histrionics. The film's
violent mood swings are as likely to induce nausea as the galloping
camera motion and Lelouch doesn't confine his artistry to the visuals: the soundtrack
is just as zany, with sound effects that would not be out of place in one of Roman Polanski's weirder films.
Si c'était à refaire is pretty tame compared with Lelouch's
more over-the-top offerings, such as his previous magnum opus
Toute une vie (1974),
but it is still an indulgence fest that can become wearisome if you
prefer a film to have more content than style. Deneuve's presence,
helped by contributions from Francis Huster and Charles Denner,
prevents the film from disappearing up its artistic orifice
and overall it is one of the more satisfying Lelouch offerings of this decade.
© James Travers 2000
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Next Claude Lelouch film:
Robert et Robert (1978)
Film Synopsis
Aged 35, Catherine Berger leaves prison after having completed a 15 year prison sentence
for complicity in the murder of her employer. She gave birth to a son whilst in
custody and, once released from prison, intends to rebuild her life with him...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.