Reviews

With De Funes at the threshold of stardom (1964 would also see him in the first of the Gendarme and Fantomas series as well as in Faites Sauter la Banque!), Darc already in it, and a mix of reliable veterans (Blanche) and future stars (Serrault), the actor lineup is outstanding. But what makes the movie even more outstanding is the dialog. Lautner and Audiard were at their very peak, also penning and directing Les Barbouzes and Les Tontons Flingueurs in that period - perhaps the finest dialog in post-WW II French cinema, on par (in the original) with the likes of Sweet Smell of Success or Some Like it Hot. The storyline (no spoiler meant here) mixes elements of gangster, con (wo)man and chase movies. The crossovers and recurrences (where is that body?) are hilarious. Like all movies of this kind, the ending poses a quandary for the writers, and this is done more than honorably in this case. The technical quality is not contemporary of course, and I presume the dialog will lose some of its flavor in most translations, but the storyline and the acting will make this a worthwhile watch in any language for those who appreciate 60's cinema.

To follow up on cheese_cake's review: the title refers to the dead and buried ("eating dandelions by their roots"). It is a paraphrase of the title of the novel from which the movie's writers started. Of course, the title is also playful: the body of interest in the movie, dead though it may be, isn't that static; some of those chasing it, however, fear that they will end up pushing up daisies indeed.

Beneath the plot, the acting and the singing, the movie is even more enjoyable with some references. (1) While combinations of actresses of that caliber are almost unheard of anywhere, the older actresses have intersected before - and mock their prior common roles. In particular, Darrieux played Deneuve's mother twice before; Darrieux' role as the mother in Demoiselles de Rochefort, Les (1967) parallels that played by Deneuve here. (2) The actresses each mock one of their own mannerisms and/or that of one of the other actresses. For instance, Ledoyen imitates the hand movements typical of Deneuve in the 1960s and 1970s. Look also for the pairs matched in the back-to-back dance near the end - more clues! (3) Each actress also imitates one famous star or style of American cinema of the era (that is, the 1940s-1960s). Most obviously, Béart imitates Jeanne Moreau in Journal d'une femme de chambre, Le (1964) and Ardant imitates Rita Hayworth (e.g., Gilda (1946)). (4) The linchpin between these actresses, via various directors, is Romy Schneider. The picture that Deneuve picks up from Béart's apron is Schneider's. Basically, you may enjoy the film (or not) on the first degree, but for better or for worse, it is full of references. The good news, for cinephiles, is that the references are a lot broader and a fair bit more subtle than the typical Hollywood-to-Hollywood, Cinecita-to-Cinecita or Hong Kong-to-Hong Kong navel gazing.

Has aged a little in some of the line readings, and Peckinpah is ham-fisted in making his points. Still, a groundbreaking film that paved the way for Tarantino, Spielberg, Scorcese... Over these, Peckinpah has a more unrelenting willingness to tackle head-on the moral contradictions and ambiguities that mine all the main characters. Helping the cause, The Wild Bunch is a feat of individual and group acting, and cinematography. In the director's cut, the added scenes make the movie even longer but pay off, as they ensure that the main characters' motivations eventually fall into place.

First-rate acting and smooth direction make this personal recounting of controversial Resistance events well worth seeing. As with all films by Claude Berri, the storytelling is direct and the cinematography is both poignant and sensitive. Daniel Auteuil is great as usual. Carole Bouquet also contributes, albeit with less emotional range. The movie focuses as much on the love between Lucie and Raymond Aubrac as on the historical events surrounding them as they participate in the French Resistance to German occupation during World War II. The movie also contains powerful action scenes of escape and guerilla fighting (which the Germans considered terrorism at the time). Watch for a striking scene where Heino Ferch (as Klaus Barbie) tortures Auteuil (as Lucie's husband Raymond) to obtain information about Resistance leader "Max". Not only is this scene memorably acted and filmed, but it bears on a most controversial event in the history of the Resistance. The script follows a book by Lucie Aubrac that is ostensibly autobiographic. To this day, historians debate whether the Aubracs remained committed to the resistance or whether Raymond actually cracked under torture and betrayed resistance mastermind Jean Moulin ("Max"). Moulin was arrested soon after Raymond left prison and died a hero, refusing to speak under the torture of Klaus Barbie, the "Butcher of Lyons". These events and Barbie's much later in persona trial (1987) still rattle many people's understanding of the morals and history of France in the last sixty-plus years.