Die Liebenden - Von der Last, glücklich zu sein

I read most of the crass reviews here with a sense of incomprehension. Anyone with eyes to see and a minimum of intelligence should be able to perceive that this is an incredibly ambitious film, and like it or not, it is an excellently made film. There are certain films of Christophe Honore that I do not respond to, and have expressed it in some of my reviews, but he is undoubtedly one of France's greatest directors. This I feel is his most complex and greatest film ( of all that I have seen, which is most ). It disturbs as much as it delights, and my viewing of it fluctuated between the two. My conclusion was it is better to attempt the Mount Everest of loving another than not at all. The cast is perfect and I do not want to single out one over another. But it is the content that makes it so perfect interweaving both historical events in History ( 1960's to this new troubled 21st C ) and the histories of a fully rounded set of characters. Honore's canvas of life and death is full to the brim, and yes there were moments when I was troubled by what I saw; deeply troubled at what people inflict on each other, and mostly in the name of love and love's rejection. The songs sometimes irritated, but the core of feeling is often expressed in music and what a stroke of genius to have Janacek's String Quartet which is entitled ' Intimate Letters ' recur often in the film. I am not sure I will watch this film often because hardened though I think I am it is a vision of life that is not afraid of looking at the worst of life in the face. I also think I saw a final homage to Preminger's ' River of No Return ' which is a misunderstood film in itself. A complex, fine achievement of a film.

Way way way too long. The nearly three hour run-time is longer than all the parking meters in the area of the theater, so i even risked a parking ticket to see the end of this flick! Lots of actors from a previous Honore musical: "Love Songs" (which ran a respectable 100 minutes). Sagnier gets the movie off the ground and then Deneuve sinks it. Mastroianni also greatly helps toward its floundering. I suppose most blame should be heaped on either the director or producers for allowing this thing to go to distribution in its present state. There might be a decent musical in there somewhere. Ludivine Sagnier is one of the many attractive gems of European Leading Ladies of the cinema. She and Isabelle Huppert are my favorite French Actresses nowadays. It's always tricky to cross generational lines and use different actors for the same character in different stages in life. Even the most forgiving viewer might find himself at odds reconciling the tall handsome young "Jaromil" with his older version, regardless of how well and charming the part was played. If you liked "Love Songs" then you will feel at home with the Alex Beaupain score.

This film has a great look and the acting is good and engaging. I don't understand why it is a musical? I should clarify that I am not a fan of musicals, especially when the song comes out of no where. Give me "Cabaret," "Judy," or "Nine." Those are superb musicals that make sense, ever number happens on stage, and in the case of "Nine," in the imagination of the director who is struggling with writer's block.

This film is remarkable.

Beautifully shot, full of inventions, the film is extremely refreshing as most of Honoré's work. The tone is pop and lighthearted, while addressing unconventional subjects, such as elder's sexuality.

The casting is impeccable as always with Honoré. If the duo Deneuve-Sagnier and the depiction of a female character of that generation had a taste of dejà-vu (Ozon? Todd Haynes?), Honoré managed to make it feel like unexplored territory. But that's with Vera's character that Honoré is at its best. Mastroianni is AMAZING!! You've never seen a woman in her late 30's depicted that way in a movie.

The downturn of the film are the singing parts. It really doesn't work and it's even painful to watch. Other than Jacques Demy's films, one can think of Resnais's "On connait la chanson", Ozon's "8 femmes" or Ducastel & Martineau's "Jeanne et le garçon formidable" as examples of the successful mix of serious subject matters and musical. But with Honoré, it doesn't work (with the exception of the elegant telephone scene with Duris and Preiss in "Dans Paris"). It's tempting to just recommend to skip the singing parts as the film is otherwise quite long.

Other than that, the film is a must see.

Very rarely are movies made about unrequited (one-sided) love and love lost, let alone musicals. It's good and somewhat interesting; though it tests your patience a lot. With the terrific star-cast it has, I expected a lot more. It falls short of a definite and good plot, and it lacks heart.

Catherine Deneuve is not even utilized properly. Ludivine Sagnier is charming; it's amazing how much she has grown up since Ozon's 'Swimming Pool'. And it was delightful to see Paul Schneider in this French musical. The remaining cast just does their job, which is not much.

Even though it's a musical, the songs are quite average. The only song I actually loved is 'Ici Londres (Heaven Knows)', sung by Chiara Mastroianni and Paul Schneider.