Le parfum d'Yvonne

'"Le Parfum d'Yvonne", it's famous, every one knows it.' A then 23-year-old Swiss girl told me very excitedly when we so by chance stayed in the same drab pension at the Moslem Quarter in Old Jerusalem City in Jerusalem, Israel. That was 1994 and so I watched this movie in Vevey when I went to visit her later in 1995. Yes, entertaining and erotic to some extent. Changes from the original book are largely on the age of the characters like Victor is 18 in the book but a 30+ in the movie.

Its attractions are apparent: 1) Switzerland is famous for its natural beauty 2) young pretty sexy starlet who dares to undress in a sensuous way. She once takes off her brief panties at the pier of Lake Geneva and gives it to Victor as a gift 3) the story is told in flashback, perhaps in the early 60's where the actual incident takes place in 1958, nostalgia is always a hit to Europeans 4) tantalizing and sensuous love scene between Yvonne and Victor 5) the mysteries of Yvonne, Victor and homosexual Dr. Rene Meinthe, their own personal stories are not known at all 6) they meet at the hall/foyer of a hotel, a dream place of men and women to meet their romance or love, immediately they start their romance in such a beautiful place 7) Unreal is the word for the atmosphere, it is a dream, Yvonne is a big secret herself, she is unreal, hard to get hold of 8) Nice music, I especially remember the older man who sings "Sa Jeunesse" in dark voice.

All these are effective elements for a blockbuster movie. To me, it's a past-time entertainment without much to tell. So pitiful that Sandra Majani did not do any more filming after this one, she is really a sweet girl.

A truly beautiful film by Patrice Leconte. As usual Patrice Leconte provides us with a magnificent blend of a fine cast (a memorable performance by Jean-Pierre Marielle as Dr. Rene Meinthe), beautiful music and photography and a captivating story. A film less known than Patrice Leconte's "Le mari de la coiffeuse" but equally enjoyable.

I have really no idea if I like this film for its good points, or to intensely dislike it for the bad ones. The title should have been, in my opinion, ' Villa Triste ' as it is not only a better title ( based on Patrick Modiano's novel ) but because who cares or knows what perfume Yvonne wears ? I only watched the film as I like Modiano's work, and as I have not read this specific one I hoped for better. I am convinced the book has more merit than Patrice Leconte's film. Bad things first. Sandra Majon was one of the most tepid actors I have ever seen, and in this film the passivity of Hippolyte Girardot's acting in a complex role was in my opinion quite simply lazy. And then there is a sad old homosexual played by Jean-Pierre Marielle that showed off every pathetic gesture that presumably the director thought every ageing homosexual should, or does have. The music is relentlessly soft focussed when it is not maudlin, and so is the camera work in far too many scenes. Now for the good points. It does have a few powerful scenes and to avoid spoilers the Algerian War raging in France in 1958 was sometimes put to the foreground and the regret of wasted and passing years movingly shown. I do not want to give away more except to say the ' erotic ' scenes were dull, and repetitious and totally unconvincing. I give it a 5 for an attempt to put a Modiano book on screen, and for the ambiguity of motives adequately conveyed. As I said my opinion of this film is in the balance, but with more thought probably veering towards the bad.

Patrice Leconte is one of my favorite director. Although this film is not one of his best, it's still worth watching. It's burning with sensuality. Great characters: from the eccentric doctor René to the Marmaduke look-a-like dog. Good performances by Marielle, Girardot and Majani. Too bad it's her only film. This movie tells the story about two persons in love. But love, as every true movie fan will know, is not always the easiest thing. Verdict: not the best Leconte, but a very enjoyable way to spend 89 minutes.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on September 20th, 2005.

76/100 (**½)

A bad film also merits proper attention as it can help critics and viewers to ascertain what went wrong during the making of a particular film.This is also true for French film "Le Parfum d'Yvonne" which remains one of those horribly bad films which deserves to be seen as it has been directed by a famous director.For this film Patrice Leconte loses artistic control on many occasions as he leaves a lot of questions unanswered.The entire film is nicely shot and depiction of fun loving idlers is authentic yet this film fails to captivate audiences.This is the reason why most of the viewers will have a hard time figuring out what this film was trying to convey.It appears that viewers might complain that very less background information has been provided to enable them to comprehend what the film was all about. Despite its inherent shortcomings "Le Parfum d'Yvonne" is a film whose established actors Hipployte Girardot and Jean Pierre Marielle have done immense justice to their roles.However,it is really a pity that nothing much is known about Dutch actress Sandra Majani who shines throughout the film.Her sensual performance is extraordinary as it helps this film to be enjoyed only for its visual erotic undercurrents.