Brent A
10% rating ... Weird concept with poor characters. Did not like this charmless film.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
12/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Finally, Truffaut's third masterpiece is here, and this one seems to be carrying his unique voice, almost devoid of all influences, like he did with his debut.
The opening segment presents an utopian setting, maybe an imagined funeral of the protagonist. It is obvious who died, as a parade of women arrive in their cars, some amused, some surprised, a couple of them mournful, throwing roses and dirt to the tomb of this... ummm...
Womanizer? Don Juan? Addict?
Let's find out in the following 118 minutes.
What follows is a marvelous comedy full of romance, which is certainly not the same as a romantic comedy. A man seeks women, often resorting to shocking means just to make a female acquaintance. How is he? How does he think? Well, he is an admirer of the female aesthetics, their figure, their varied personalities, their high or low heels, of big breasts during the winter and small breasts during summer, and most importantly, skirts. Every time he scores, or every time he fails (less probable), he decides to put the anecdotes together in a way that resembles a diary since the beginning, which progresses to an autobiography later, which then becomes a finished novel that is seeking to be published.
If you're reading this plot description and feel indignant or perceive it overused, don't give up! That's barely the surface. Morally, of course, the plot sounds repulsive, but under Truffaut's lens and his mastery at narrative, the film becomes, as said, a masterpiece.
To begin with, it is not necessary that the film spells out that the protagonist is walking towards his own destruction. Somehow, the film takes the hardest route and transforms Bertrand into a likeable character, even funny. He is not necessarily the handsome type, but he is an expert at what he does. Also, no matter how eloquently he can put his experiences and admiration for women into words, it is clearly an obsession. He's addicted to women. This moral flank, however, is not the main purpose of the story to cover. Truffaut's followers should know he makes comedies, and this was no exception. Not even his Antoine Doinel series was finished. But it doesn't stop there.
<i>L' Homme qui Aimait les Femmes</i> also reveals its true faces halfway through. Whereas the first half was a classy introduction to the character and an effectively funny representation of his adventures, the second half becomes a fully layered psychological and emotional analysis of the character, transforming his in-progress novel into an exercise of self-consciousness and self-judgment intertwined with philosophical resonances. In some segments, he seems to explicitly state his awareness of his obsession. "I want them all, even if I can't." From a comedy, we have then an engaging analytical drama with interesting sequences mirroring the process of literary criticism in a meta-art form, which adds brilliant layers of depth to the film. There's a true dissonance from the extreme character of Delphine in the first half, to the dialogue with Véra on the second half, the latter remaining as my favorite scene.
Subject to a hideous U.S. remake by Blake Edwards (famous for the cinema adaptations of The Pink Panther series) starring Blake Reynolds, <i>L' Homme qui Aimait les Femmes</i> is a story that explores the obsessive compulsions of a calculating man suffering in the areas of his life because of his decisions, while the screenplay discusses several angles and definitions of big terms such as "love", "sex" and "romance", without necessarily putting all the blame to men! There are also a couple of crazy women out there!
97/100
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Very engaging and apparently simple story of a man who is addicted to seducing women following indirect contact with them. Truffaut's storytelling is non-judgemental and more complex than it first appears.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/05/23
Full Review
Audience Member
It is one of the few late Truffauts to muster any weight and complexity.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
s r
A French revealing his way of finding, meeting and seducing women. It puts men into a proper perspective showing their motivations and desires in relation to women. It was poetic in its simplicity and this was done tastefully without any vulgarity or immoral sensuality.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A scientist writes about book about his sexual exploits.
As I watched this film, I wondered if it was supposed to be satirical comedy or if there was something I wasn't understanding, that it was saying something complex about sexual politics. Even as the film drew to its conclusion, I couldn't figure out if Francois Truffaut was taking me for a ride that ended nowhere or if I simply wasn't smart enough to be in on the joke. I feel the same way now.
What is certain is that this is a lesser Truffaut film, not up to Antoine Doinel par, but nevertheless the images are sharp, the plot unfolds with ease, and the acting is quite good; Charles Denner is uninhibited and occasionally charming.
I wish the film would have more fully explored his few attempts at love over lust, but considering I don't really know what Truffaut was shooting at, I don't even know if this a fair criticism.
Overall, I suppose this should be on one's checklist of Truffaut films to see, but there are so many better ones.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/26/23
Full Review
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