Released in 1959 between Godard's Brainless and Truffaut's The Four Hundred Yawns this entry from Rohmer was right there as the first lappings of the New Wavelet dampened the feet of Real French Directors. Within three years the New Wave was washed up; eventually Truffaut joined the opposition and made Le Dernier Metro completely in a style he had affected to despise and upon which he had poured vitriolic scorn but Godard never did find out how the Big Boys do it. Le Signe du Lion holds up much better than either Brainless or The Four Hundred Yawns and seen today - as it was, literally hours ago - it is valuable as a chronicle of Paris as it was on the edge of the 60s. The location shooting was, of course, dictated by the budget or lack of one but unlike Godard who allowed his camera to follow a Belmondo walking aimlessly and rapidly up and down the same thoroughfare Rohmer opts for a much more leisurely pace as befits his central character, who began by living from hand to mouth and slowly degenerates to fully paid-up bum. American expatriate Jess Hahn is effective as an essentially foolish man who lives for the moment, a grasshopper in a world of ants, happy to splash out all his borrowed money on fair-weather friends on the strength of a misinterpreted telegram and then paying the price as the real friends who may well have come through for him leave Paris on vacation and/or business. People born under Leo do, of course, have a predilection for being the centre of attention which serves as both an explanation and/or justification for Rohmer's camera being fixated on Hahn for something like one and three quarter hours. Along the way the likes of Paul Crauchet and Stephane Audran offer glimpses of the fine actors they would become whilst Godard, significantly, plays an idiot. For a director with a reputation for making 'talky' movies Rohmer plays down his loquacity this time around and turns in an animated postcard of Paris.
Review of Sign of the Lion
