★ 7 / 10
At times Jean-Pierre Léaud's "Doinel" character reminded me
CinemaSerf
At times Jean-Pierre Léaud's "Doinel" character reminded me a little of Charlie Chaplin's "Tramp" as he works his way through this engaging comedy about the…
At times Jean-Pierre Léaud's "Doinel" character reminded me a little of Charlie Chaplin's "Tramp" as he works his way through this engaging comedy about the lives and loves of a man whom, having just left the army, must adjust to civilian life. Initially, he lucks out as his girlfriend "Christine" (Claude Jade) manages to get her dad (Daniel Ceccaldi) to get him a job. Now a security guard he certainly isn't, so his tenure is short lived but it does introduce him to the intriguing world of the private detective. This leads to a job keeping an eye on the ostensibly upstanding businessman "Georges" (Michael Lonsdale) which in turn sees him meet that man's wife "Fabienne" (Delphine Seyrig) with whom, yep you've guessed... Why would this beautiful and charming woman be married to a shoe salesman? Well as the young man digs deeper, we discover - via a series of increasingly daft scenarios, that "Doinel" is pretty inept at just about everything but that has a charm to it that might just prove surprisingly successful in the least likely of fashions. Léaud is on good form here presenting an amiable buffoon that it's quite easy to like. There's also some enjoyable chemistry between him and both Seyrig and Jade that at times can make you cringe with embarrassment as he struggles to get to grips with his relationships with women. The comedy is plentiful and it's actually quite provocative for the late 1960s. It's a story about sexual awakenings and that elusive sense of self-realisation that I found flew by for a ninety minutes that still works entertainingly now.
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★ 8 / 10
Willing to Please...
Xstal
The army life just wasn't made for you, after three years of detention they're all through, you're discharged from a shared cell, you get a job in a hotel, you…
The army life just wasn't made for you, after three years of detention they're all through, you're discharged from a shared cell, you get a job in a hotel, you find Christine, who you continue to pursue. A night porter's not the perfect role in truth, but it creates an opportunity to sleuth, as a private detective, you need to keep your perspective, it's a challenge for disoriented youth. As a spy inside a shoe shop you observe, the owners sexy wife you have to serve, there's an age gap but connection, that results in an inspection, forces you to make your next, career move. You get called out, to fix the telly of Christine, it's fair to say that a repair job's not your dream, you don't really have a clue, where you're going, what to do, but there's a chance, you've caught the girl, in your crossbeam.
An often hilarious continuation of Antoine Doinel's life, leaves you reflecting on similar scenarios in your own formative years. Great performances and great direction.
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