Gathering up a number of DVDs to give to a friend as an Easter present,I decided to search around for any interesting sounding French Drama's.Taking a look at a DVD sellers page,I was delighted to stumble upon a French Comedy Drama which had a number of enticing IMDb reviews,which led to me happily getting ready to meet Antoine and Antoinette for the first time.
View on the film:
Made at a time when a sense of optimism was sweeping across France thanks to the end of WWII,co-writer/ (along with Maurice Griffe and Francoise Giroud) director Jacques Becker expertly reflects the mood with fluid camera moves which reveal the 'bright future' atmosphere that all of the characters have.
Becker shows the streets to be packed with closed-knitted communities going about their daily routine,and also that there is a new influx of money on the horizon,which give working class people such as Antoine and Antoinette a firm belief that a jackpot is within their grasp.
For the brilliant screenplay of the film,the writers keep away from turning the movie into something sickly sweet by using the impact that women had in the work forces of WWII as a smart way to show the changing dynamics of the 'traditional' relationship,thanks to Antoine and Antoinette both being shown to be their own bosses at the work place,and the writers also showing Antoinette to be much more focused on solving the issues related to the lottery ticket,than the far weaker Antoine is.
Along with taking a close look at the title character's relationship,the writer's also put a golden ticket at the centre of the film,which along with showing the wealth that was entering people's lives also gives the writers the chance to include a number of tantalising fights for money,with Becker giving the movie a surprisingly hard-nose in a brutal final fight,which inadvertently leads to the lottery trouble being solved in a wonderful twist.
Playing what appears to be a newly married couple,Roger Pigaut and the pretty Claire Maffei both give excellent performances,with both actors each bringing something to the relationship.Maffei gives Antoinette a strong masculine side as she finds herself having to support her stressed-out husband,whilst Pigaut only expresses his masculine side in short rough'n' tumble bursts,as Pigaut shows Antoine to be clutching at straws over solving the troubles of the winning ticket,as Antoinette and Antoine reveal themselves to be a winning couple.
View on the film:
Made at a time when a sense of optimism was sweeping across France thanks to the end of WWII,co-writer/ (along with Maurice Griffe and Francoise Giroud) director Jacques Becker expertly reflects the mood with fluid camera moves which reveal the 'bright future' atmosphere that all of the characters have.
Becker shows the streets to be packed with closed-knitted communities going about their daily routine,and also that there is a new influx of money on the horizon,which give working class people such as Antoine and Antoinette a firm belief that a jackpot is within their grasp.
For the brilliant screenplay of the film,the writers keep away from turning the movie into something sickly sweet by using the impact that women had in the work forces of WWII as a smart way to show the changing dynamics of the 'traditional' relationship,thanks to Antoine and Antoinette both being shown to be their own bosses at the work place,and the writers also showing Antoinette to be much more focused on solving the issues related to the lottery ticket,than the far weaker Antoine is.
Along with taking a close look at the title character's relationship,the writer's also put a golden ticket at the centre of the film,which along with showing the wealth that was entering people's lives also gives the writers the chance to include a number of tantalising fights for money,with Becker giving the movie a surprisingly hard-nose in a brutal final fight,which inadvertently leads to the lottery trouble being solved in a wonderful twist.
Playing what appears to be a newly married couple,Roger Pigaut and the pretty Claire Maffei both give excellent performances,with both actors each bringing something to the relationship.Maffei gives Antoinette a strong masculine side as she finds herself having to support her stressed-out husband,whilst Pigaut only expresses his masculine side in short rough'n' tumble bursts,as Pigaut shows Antoine to be clutching at straws over solving the troubles of the winning ticket,as Antoinette and Antoine reveal themselves to be a winning couple.