There is so much allure in French cinema. The stories may sometimes be simple, but filmmakers like Varda, Godard, Truffaut, and others, have added their own flair and iconography to elevate the stories they are telling. And the same can be said for director Claude Lelouch, one of the more unsung directors of the French New Wave. The biggest proof of this is his landmark 1966 chic romantic masterpiece, A Man and a Woman, a film that still hypnotizes everyone who has the privilege of seeing it.
Buy A Man and a Woman (Criterion Collection)Film legends Anouk Aimee (in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Jean-Louis Trintignant star as a script supervisor and a race car driver, both widowers, who cross paths at the boarding school their children attend. They are both hesitant but instantly smitten with each other. They soon form a relationship that is filled with romance and compatibility, but the ghosts (meaning their past loves) threaten their newfound love and happiness.
Again, the film has a simple premise, but with Lelouch’s experimental direction, improvised dialogue, and immense chemistry between the two leads elevates the premise to cinematic greatness. The film jumps through time and space, but you’re not really confused by where you are. It also moves between color and black and white stock (due to the budget limitations), but that helps heighten the emotional and romantic tension that suffices throughout the entire film, not to mention Francis Lai’s ravishing score, where the theme song became an instant hit. You hear it everywhere, in other films and TV ads. It’s part of pop-culture history now.
The good folks at Criterion have provided a stellar new 2K restoration (supervised by Lelouch) that gives the film a greater resonance. There are also a few nifty supplements including a new interview with Lelouch; making-of documentary shot on location; archival footage of Lelouch at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival; C’était un rendez-vous (1976), a short film by Lelouch, with a new introduction by him; and trailers. There’s also a great new essay by critic Carrie Rickey.
After seeing the film, I was instantly hooked from the very start. A Man and a Woman is not just a hauntingly beautiful classic in French filmmaking, but also a realistic portrayal of grief. If you enjoy international cinema, or need an education in it, then this film would be a great place to start.
