L'Homme pressé

L' homme pressé is a highly original movie based on a book that was written in the 1940s. The director uses the story of a constantly anxious antiques collector in order to make a comment on the limits of uncontrolled passion, if there are any, and, more generally, on the pressure we get every day from living in a material world. The main character, played excellently by Alain Delon, is a man driven by his passion for antiques; his personality is described thoroughly throughout the film, bit by bit, revealing little information about the collector's inner thoughts at a time, and, although it seems that some of his motives are not fully explained, the director succeeds in transmitting the feeling of stress that overtakes him.

L' homme pressé is an unusual, quick-paced movie that is definitely worth watching. Beautiful music, too.

8

In the French drama "The Hurried Man" Alain Delon plays... a man in a hurry. Id est, a different side of his usual persona. With his characteristic subdued, dark and mysterious way, he played remarkable roles in Rocco, L'Eclisse, Le Samourai, The Leopard. He mostly used to portra chilly, calculating characters, a default type that goes overboard here. Delon runs from one place to another, always hot, restless and impulsive. He doesn't think very far ahead as an art dealer. The film balances itself between black humor and drama. In the beginning his haste and collecting obsession are funny. After a while it becomes problematic. The dramatic aspect gets the upper hand, at some point the spectator's sympathy for him diminishes. This story was certainly in the right place. The role was certainly unusual for the male sex symbol of the 1960s. Edouard Molinaro, even though he had directed Brigitte Bardot in such an idiocy as A Delightful Idiot, was certainly (otherwise) competent to the point.

The film is based on a wonderful novel written by Paul Morand in 1940-1941 (not in in the 30's as mentionned in the other comment).

A remake was made this very year (a made-for-TV work) in which Anthony Delon takes on his daddy's part.I have not seen it but the 1977 work is an oasis in the desert of Delon's movies in the seventies (except for the masterful "M.Klein" ,the two Alain Jessua and at a pinch Giovanni's "deux hommes dans la ville").Even his then-partner Mireille Darc succeeds in showing some emotion.

Delon portrays a man who wants to buy valuable things from the manuscripts of the Middle-Ages to masterpieces .But unlike his character in the remarkable "M.Klein" (1975)he buys for the sake of buying,of leaving the others behind.His assistant is played by Michel Duchaussoy,who serves the star as a foil,as he did in "traitement de choc" and "Armaguedon" the two Jessua works.And however Duchaussoy is at least as good an actor as Delon.

The film does not lack tempo ,which is necessary when you deal with such a subject: a man in a hurry.His attitude becomes more and more pathological as he tells his wife that it takes too long to get a child and seven months are enough,cause the baby is "complete".

for cast, for script, for rhythm, for the humor and levels of drama. a film about a form of hunt. cruel, chaotic, idealistic, strange and without chance. one of real good roles of Alain Delon who, before be an image - and many characters from period uses only the seductive image of actor- gives a special anti-hero , mixture of emotions and decisions and cruelty , remember the aura of Romanticism silhouette in right manner. short - a film of Delon because Mireille Darc remains a delicate shadow and that fact does the first part of film not really convincing. a film about sense of life and about ambition. interesting. and little more. because it remember the art of a legendary actor.