O Homem Insaciável

We are introduced to Pierre, the Delon character, a man who lives in a state of constant agitation. I get the point, but Delon's acting is weird to say the least. He seems unfocussed, frantic and manic rather than hurried. In today's world he would be treated with Xanax.

The meeting with Edwige, the Mireille Darc character, is the epitome of the silly. I am not concerned with the lack of politically correct, but basically Delon tells her that he will call her by her name when she gives him a price, meaning that he calls by their name only prostitutes...

Edwige is the heir of a house sold by her father on his deathbed, therefore not a prostitute but addressed as such. Darc did not struck me as a good actress. In this film she acts with her dreadful haircut and mostly stares at Delon, waiting to blurt out her silly lines. She should be antagonistic but she just cannot pull it off.

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.

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".

Pierre Nioux (Alains Delon) is a charming wealthy self-made dealer of arts and antiques, who lives in a hurry without spending time. When he buys a disputed house in the country, the daughter of the former owner, Edwige (Mireille Darc), meets his in a judicial contest and ends getting married with him. Pierre has a serious beginning of a heart attack, but he is disputing an expensive and rare Etruscan vase and does not pay much attention to his doctor. Meanwhile, Edwige gets pregnant and although loving him, she leaves home and hides herself from Pierre, who wants to anticipate her delivery in order to not waste nine months. Will he get the vase?

"L'homme pressé" is a weird and original movie with a very interesting and intriguing storyline. The performances of the cast is outstanding, highlighting the magnificent Alain Delon, in the role of a very stressed man who cannot afford to reduce his intense rhythm of life. He transmits this sensation to the viewer, in a great direction. Unfortunately, the VHS released in Brazil is dubbed in English, but anyway, this curious film deserves to be watched at least once. Further, the Brazilian title is ridiculous, giving a wrong idea of the lead character. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Um Homem Sem Escrúpulos" ("A Man Without Scrupulous")

Note: On 26 August 2016, I saw this film again.

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).