La bonne année

Claude Lelouch is known for having left a copious filmography behind him and in which very few films reach the scale of the masterwork, except maybe "un Homme et Une Femme" (1966) and "la Vie, l'Amour, la Mort" (1969). A good proportion is to be pigeonholed in the category of entertaining, homespun films and "la Bonne Année" has its place among them.

Straddling between two genres: the gangster movie and the sentimental movie, the Lelouch 1973 vintage features Lino Ventura who is released from prison for the new year in 1968 and with a little help from his accomplish plans to commit a break-in to a jeweler's. But in parallel, he falls in love with a lovely female antique dealer.

These two types of cinematographic genres are difficult to handle together but as we are in Lelouch's universe you've got to accept the rules of the game. And the cohesive transition between them works thanks to Lelouch's fluid making and with a lot of humor going for it. I especially love the sequences when he dresses up as an old, rich man who visits the jeweler's and talks about his sister who is at hospital in a serious state. The steps of the operation are shot with clarity and precision. One also appreciates Lino Ventura's mischievous performance and the fact that Lelouch managed to subdue some superfluous features pertaining to him which aren't too overwhelming and are even funny to the pleasure of the projection. So, you can forgive the filmmaker for having incorporated pseudo-philosophical dialogs between Ventura and his female partner about love, wedding and the stability of the couple as well as being amused by a little juggling of the color and black and white concerning the cinematography. The outset and the end are shot in black and white, probably to give an arty feeling to the film even if one can deem this action as gratuitous.

But never mind, if you've got to list the ten most watchable films in Lelouch's work, this one should be part of it.

This film was pretty good and it was nice to see older men in lead roles who are not particularly sexy. Our hero(?) is a sophisticated thief who has intricately planned, along with his friend, the theft of a famous jewel store. It reminded me of the movies Rafifi and Grand Slam, though this caper was performed by 2 instead of it being a larger group effort. Also, it differs in that it diverges into a romance that builds with a woman whose store is next to the jewelers. Although I liked this relationship part of the movie, the speed at which the woman fell for him and the depth of this love seemed rather unreal, but this is a small quibble for an otherwise excellent film.

Great character studies of the jewel thief who falls in love with an antique dealer while chasing a joint in the South of France. Brilliant dialogue, brilliant performances by FF and Lino Ventura. Good comic turn by LV's partner in crime too.

Director Jacques Becker is credited with giving former wrestler Lino Ventura his break in films, for which we owe him a debt of thanks and here Ventura's co-star is Becker's widow Francoise Fabian.

Not only is this an expertly crafted 'heist' movie but also depicts an unlikely romance between polar opposites in the shape of a mucho macho, monogamous, uneducated crook and and an elegant, sexually liberated, cultured antique dealer. They are played to perfection by Ventura and Fabian whose chemistry is palpable. There are also humorous exchanges between Ventura and his loyal but rather dim-witted associate played by Charles Gérard.

Despite the customary pot pourri of styles employed by Claude Lelouch this is certainly one of his most accessible and entertaining films. It spans a period of seven years during most of which Ventura's character spends behind bars. There are flashbacks within flashbacks during one of which we are treated to scenes from this director's most popular film from the previous decade which could be seen as a comment on the changing social climate.

Pierre Uytterhoven has again collaborated on the script, Francis Lai once more provides the score whilst Lelouch himself operates the camera.

Lelouch has been unfairly labelled by many as a one-hit wonder which does him a great disservice and undervalues his creativity, imagination, technical skill and the freedom he gives his actors.

An homogenised Hollywood makeover with its obligatory 'feel good' factor came and went.

Simon, a jewel thief, is released from prison on New Year's Eve. As he returns to freedom, we see (through flashback) the eventful few weeks that led up to his arrest. An entertaining film, with interesting dialogue and brilliant direction throughout.

7/10.