6/10
"One always has a preference,even for worthless things."
12 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Talking to my dad about planning to watch one French film a day over the next few months,I was happily caught by surprise,when he revealed that he had picked one up for me.Recently catching a glimpse of her in the superb Purple Noon,I decided that it was the perfect time to pay Romy Schneider a visit at her villa.

The plot:

Deciding to go on holiday,lovers Jean-Paul and Marianne choose to spend their time at a villa.Diving into the swimming pool,the couple pass the time by with sun bathing and swimming.Letting each other's guard down,Jean-Paul is taken aback,when Marianne's invites her old lover Harry and his teenage daughter to the villa.Seeing Harry reveal his wooing charms,Jean-Paul begins to think about taking drastic measures in order to save his relationship.

View on the film:

Backed by a sizzling score from Michel Legrand,co-writer/(along with Jean-Claude Carrière and Alain Page) director Jacques Deray & cinematographer Jean-Jacques Tarbès swagger round the villa like dapper dressed lounge lizards,where every corner of the villa is presented in an immaculate manner,that colour coordinate everything from the clothes to the wall paper. Plunging Jean-Paul and Marianne's relationship under the water,Deray splashes the outdoor of the villa with vibrant yellows which subtly keeps the disintegration crumbling away behind closed doors.

Hanging round the pool with everyone,the screenplay by Deray/Page and Carrière gives the domestic Drama a playfully dark comedic chop,lit up by Jean-Paul trying to get a grip on why Harry and his daughter have been invited.Hitting the movie with a dark twist,the writers block the ending from landing at full force,by presenting all 4 characters in a detached manner which stops any menacing atmosphere being fanned across the title.

Stepping out of the swimming pool looking ravishingly beautiful, Romy Schneider (who beat first choice Angie Dickinson) gives a very good performance as Marianne,via Schneider delicately crossing a free- spirit nature with a brittleness over the relationship falling from her hands. Joining his real life ex-girlfriend, Alain Delon gives a great performance as Jean-Paul,thanks to Delon injecting Jean-Paul with a heartfelt fragility,as Jean-Paul sees his hopes and loves fall to the bottom of the pool.
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