The Lovers (Les amants)
Directed by Louis Malle
Written by Louise de Velmorin
1958/France
Nouvelles Editions de Films
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] “I know it [obsenity] when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.” Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184, 197 (1964) (Stewart, J., concurring)[/box]
If you look, you will see the birth of the French New Wave.
Jeanne Tournier (Jeanne Moreau) is bored despite her great wealth and social standing. Her husband Henri, a newspaper publisher, barely tolerates her. The couple live in a grand chateau in the countryside outside Dijon but Jeanne spends as much time as possible in Paris. There she carries on an affair with polo player Raoul Flores and gossips with her shallow friend Maggie. Even this doesn’t satisfy somehow.
Henri eventually works up enough interest to demand that Jeanne invite Maggie and Raoul for the weekend at their home. Naturally, Jeanne thinks this is a terrible idea but she complies. On her way home from Paris, her car breaks down. Now she is in danger of leaving her friends alone with Henri.
But a passing stranger comes to the rescue. He’s not too impressed with Jeanne but agrees to drop her off at her home. Henri invites him to stay the night. The stranger proves to be the spark that lights Jeanne’s fire.
This is quite OK and Moreau, as always, is a joy to watch. Here she goes through several different mood changes and it is amazing to see her appearance change drastically. The New Wave elements come in most clearly when Jeanne and Raoul go to an amusement park.
Don’t go into this looking for anything even approaching obscenity. The film is almost anti-erotic until the stranger enters the picture. Even then there is zero nudity and though the couple go to bed the camera is discreet. There are some shots of Moreau’s face when her character is clearly enjoying whatever is being done to her off camera. But it was all apparently too much for Cleveland Heights, Ohio at the time.
Fan trailer – clips set to Brahms
