I don't usually watch (let alone review) documentaries of famous people, and especially not actors or actresses, for the plain and simple reason they are just human beings that do their jobs like we do ours. Documentaries about people's troubled and turbulent love lives are particularly tricky because they somewhat feel like voyeurism and nosing into private affairs. The amazing Romy Schneider deserves an exception, though.
No so much her love life interests me (even though this is what the film is primarily about) but I want to pay tribute to the courageous, intelligent, ambitious, and unfortunate woman she was. Courageous because she could have had an easy and comfortable career if she continued making "Sissi" movies in her home country. But Romy lost her in dull and daft costume dramas rather quickly, unlike her mother and grandmother before her. Romy was drawn to Paris and an uncertain career path. She was also courageous because she was the one who picked Alain Delon as her co-actor for "Christine" (1958) even though he was still unknown and contemporary famous names were available as alternatives. Intelligent because she learned the difficult language of French in barely 1-2 years, and impeccable I may add. Ambitious because she appeared in convoluted theater plays, as well as in a wide variety of film roles, but practically never in the same type of role twice. She depicted strong women as well as sensitive women, prostitutes as well as timid housewives. Finally, alas, unfortunate because she encountered a lot of pain and sorrow, notably the tragic accident of her teenage son that indirectly led to her own untimely death.
Regarding Alain Delon, I can be briefer. He's just one of the coolest, most charismatic, and top-talented actors ever to come out of Europe. I have seen many of his films, and he never disappoints, and the most fascinating thing to witness in this documentary is how his life somehow always remained interwoven with Romy Schneider's until even after her death. In case you haven't seen much of either Romy's or Alain's work, it's advisable to keep pen & paper nearby when you watch the documentary. Many, many movies come highly recommended; - particularly "La Piscine", "The Assassination of Trotsky", "Le Clan des Siciliens", "Le Procès", "Le Cercle Rouge", and "Mort d'un Pourri".
