... a few of My favourite things are the films of Claude Sautet such as Cesar et Rosalie, Vincent, Francois, Paul et les autres, Nelly et M. Arnaud and The Things Of Life, the film that marked both a change of direction and a maturity in Sautet's career. The premise is hardly original; a man is involved in a car crash and as he nears death his life flashes before him. In other hands this could be maudlin, gauche, embarrassing or all three but writers like Jean-Loup Dabadie (who worked with Sautet on two of the exceptional films he made with Yves Montand, Cesar et Rosalie and Vincent, Francois, Paul et les autres) and directors like Sautet don't do maudlin, gauche, etc and as if the technical credits weren't enough we have actors like Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider to put the icing on the cake. This is one that stands up to repeated viewings.
Review of The Things of Life
