Of course, I saw the film for Françoise Dorléac, the beautiful, super talented and, unfortunately, so young disappeared from this anyway so short life, Françoise Dorléac. How much strength she had in her eyes, with a single look she could transmit a
million words. So much dramatic power she had, an unparalleled acting potential. Her performance in the role of Julie in this film is impressive. I knew from the other films I had seen her in, "Les trois chapeaux claques" (1962), "That Man from Rio (1964), "The Soft Skin" (1964), "Les petites demoiselles" (1964), " Cul-de-sac" (1966), "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort" (1967), that her acting is of total sincerity, but here in this "Julie de Chaverny ou La double méprise" she reaches the absolute. She is deeply emotional in all the scenes and especially in the one when she's in Darcy's carriage and she tells him, crying, that she loves him. All the other actors are excellent, the music is superb, the costumes, everything. Also the warm and gracious voice of the narrator Michel Bouquet (an excellent actor, a favorite of mine from many other films) it is exceptional. And the direction of Jean-Pierre Marchand, the same one who directed Françoise Dorléac in "Les trois chapeaux claques" is impeccable. A film that I wholeheartedly recommend. Be careful though, it's a strong drama.
And, finally, a remark from real life: Françoise Dorléac died at 25 years old, her mother, Renée Simonot (who is also Catherine Deneuve's mother) lived to be 109 years old, and the actress Laurence Badie (Marie in "Julie de Chaverny ou La double
méprise" and Fanny in "Les trois chapeaux claques") turned 94 in 2022.
