I watched my first Claude Sautet film two nights ago. It was titled Cesar and Rosalie.
My response was intense. In fact, intense doesn't even cover it. Make that uber intense. Cesar and Rosalie was absolute perfection. I had never seen anything quite like that on the screen before and was left completely infatuated with Claude Sautet. Mr. Sautet had somehow worked himself into my very biochemistry because my enchantment demanded to be fed. I had to see another Claude Sautet film as soon as possible.
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud was the one I got a hold of. All day long I looked forward to seeing it. I couldn't wait. But, alas...
Oh, well. It was so lovely having Mr. Sautet up there on a pedestal. Even if only for a short while. But now I realize he was a fellow human. Sigh. A wonderful filmmaker yes, but human and thus inevitably flawed.
I was disappointed in this film -- Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud. Most especially with the casting. Sorry, but NONE of the men were sympatico. Neither in their physical presence nor in their personalities. At least not in my opinion. And that sucked a lot of vitality right out of the film.
Michel Serrault did not have a scintilla of masculine appeal. I never bought that Beart was in the least attracted to him. Merely using him as a distraction from the pain of her divorce instead.
I thought it was kind of interesting that the actor who played the editor with whom Beart became romantically involved bore a physical resemblance to Serrault. In fact, he very much looked like what Michel Serrault might have looked like back when he was a young man with dark hair himself.
I think Sautet may have fashioned the resemblance deliberately. Why? I don't know.
The actor who played Beart's husband was also physically completely nondesript. Or at least presented as such.
Again, all of this served to rob the film of true romantic tension and, therefore, made it difficult to really buy into the story line.
But it was still a wonderful film, of course. Full of complexity, witty and intriguing dialogue and well worth watching. Just not perfect. JMO.
My response was intense. In fact, intense doesn't even cover it. Make that uber intense. Cesar and Rosalie was absolute perfection. I had never seen anything quite like that on the screen before and was left completely infatuated with Claude Sautet. Mr. Sautet had somehow worked himself into my very biochemistry because my enchantment demanded to be fed. I had to see another Claude Sautet film as soon as possible.
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud was the one I got a hold of. All day long I looked forward to seeing it. I couldn't wait. But, alas...
Oh, well. It was so lovely having Mr. Sautet up there on a pedestal. Even if only for a short while. But now I realize he was a fellow human. Sigh. A wonderful filmmaker yes, but human and thus inevitably flawed.
I was disappointed in this film -- Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud. Most especially with the casting. Sorry, but NONE of the men were sympatico. Neither in their physical presence nor in their personalities. At least not in my opinion. And that sucked a lot of vitality right out of the film.
Michel Serrault did not have a scintilla of masculine appeal. I never bought that Beart was in the least attracted to him. Merely using him as a distraction from the pain of her divorce instead.
I thought it was kind of interesting that the actor who played the editor with whom Beart became romantically involved bore a physical resemblance to Serrault. In fact, he very much looked like what Michel Serrault might have looked like back when he was a young man with dark hair himself.
I think Sautet may have fashioned the resemblance deliberately. Why? I don't know.
The actor who played Beart's husband was also physically completely nondesript. Or at least presented as such.
Again, all of this served to rob the film of true romantic tension and, therefore, made it difficult to really buy into the story line.
But it was still a wonderful film, of course. Full of complexity, witty and intriguing dialogue and well worth watching. Just not perfect. JMO.