Film: “A Man and a Woman” (1966) @ Film Forum
The stars of “A Man and a Woman” (1966), Claude Lelouche’s romantic drama, meet in the most unremarkable way. Anne Gauthier (Anouk Aimee) and Jean-Louis Duroc (Jean-Louis Trinignant), both single parents, are visiting Deauville where their children attend a boarding school. When Anne misses her train back to Paris—she’s always late for everything, she admits—Jean-Louis offers to drive her.
“Are you married?” he asks. Anne looks away, smiling mysteriously. Cut to flashbacks of memories of Anne and her husband Pierre, played by the dashing 1960s singer-composer Pierre Barouh. Pierre was a stuntman who died in an accident during a movie shoot.
Clearly attracted to one another, Jean-Louis and Anne make tentative plans to drive back to Deauville the following weekend. When they reunite, the two enjoy a pleasant Sunday lunch and sailing outing with their young children, Antoine (Antoine Sire) and Francoise (Souad Amidou).
In a private moment away from the kids, Jean-Louis reveals he is a professional race car driver and has an important race in Monte Carlo coming up. Suddenly quiet, Anne asks him about his wife since he’s wearing a wedding ring. We learn that Madame Duroc (Valerie Lagrange), whom we see in flashbacks, is no longer in the picture.
J-L spends the following week preparing for and driving in the Monte Carlo Rally. Anne follows reports of the race which takes place along the icy roads of the French Riviera.
Watching TV coverage of the race, Anne sends J-L a very bold telegram—“I love you”— and he races back 600 miles to Paris, giddy with anticipation. Will their infatuation stand the test of time?
The overall tone of “A Man and a Roman” is romantic without being sentimental. It is deliberately underwritten, trusting the viewer to work out what’s happening rather than overexplaining through dialogue. The film also shows how real-world concerns—e.g., career, parenthood and memories of a previous love affair—can affect a budding relationship.
After almost 60 years, “A Man and a Woman” (Oscar for best foreign film 1967) remains a treasure to watch. Lelouch mixed black and white with color film, and 35mm with 16mm and super 8. Why not film everything in color, critics wondered? “Simple. I didn’t have the money,” he admitted.
If Lelouch’s understated cinematography doesn’t win you over, the equally understated score will do the trick. Composed by Barouh and Francis Lai, it features a title song that is impossible to stop humming once you hear it.
Lelouch made this film in the heyday of the French New Wave so if you’ve seen and liked films by Truffaut, Resnais, and Malle (or even if you haven’t) you’ll devour this one like un gateau au chocolat. Bon appetit. Playing at Film Forum through April 17.
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