Reading reviews for Henri Georges-Clouzot's magnificent 1949 epic Manon,I found out that Catherine Deneuve had appeared in a "modern" take on the XVIIIth century novel.Reading a thread on IMDb's Classic Film board about Deneuve ,I got set to see a completely different take on Manon.
The plot:
Traveling to meet the wealthy guy who she is a mistress to,Manon meets Des Grieux. Left breathless by her at first sight,Grieux quickly falls for Manon. Learning that his sister is back in town, Jean-Paul tells all the rich businessmen that Manon is back in town,and that she is a high-class escort. Believing this to be true love, Grieux is taken aback,when he discovers why Manon has come back home.
View on the film:
Revving up with a fashion showcase for Manon,co-writer/(along with Cécil Saint-Laurent) director Jean Aurel & cinematographer Edmond Richard dip into kitsch Pop-Art smoked with "happening" parties,wide shots spanning jet-set boat rides and swaying camera moves breathing in the decadence are joined by Serge Gainsbourg's sweet jazzy score. Surrounding Manon with all the luxuries in life,Aurel dresses the film in immaculate colour coding, designed to give the movie a poppy atmosphere,via all of the glittering clothes perfectly blending into the pristine locations.
Taking an extremely loose riff on Abbé Prévost,the screenplay by Aurel and Laurent digs for a wonderfully ripe, kitschy Melodrama, with Manon's liaisons with Des Grieux and her sugar daddy setting each other off like ticking time bombs. Glossing the title in a cheeky mood,the writers ruin all of the good will they build up by taking the title into sour wrong turns,with moments such as a rape scene feeling completely disconnected to the rest of the film. Looking like she is walking down the catwalk, Catherine Deneuve gives an excellent performance as Manon,who when laying around in bed is given a sex kitten purr which Deneuve bites into, to reveal playful fangs,as Manon reaches 70.
The plot:
Traveling to meet the wealthy guy who she is a mistress to,Manon meets Des Grieux. Left breathless by her at first sight,Grieux quickly falls for Manon. Learning that his sister is back in town, Jean-Paul tells all the rich businessmen that Manon is back in town,and that she is a high-class escort. Believing this to be true love, Grieux is taken aback,when he discovers why Manon has come back home.
View on the film:
Revving up with a fashion showcase for Manon,co-writer/(along with Cécil Saint-Laurent) director Jean Aurel & cinematographer Edmond Richard dip into kitsch Pop-Art smoked with "happening" parties,wide shots spanning jet-set boat rides and swaying camera moves breathing in the decadence are joined by Serge Gainsbourg's sweet jazzy score. Surrounding Manon with all the luxuries in life,Aurel dresses the film in immaculate colour coding, designed to give the movie a poppy atmosphere,via all of the glittering clothes perfectly blending into the pristine locations.
Taking an extremely loose riff on Abbé Prévost,the screenplay by Aurel and Laurent digs for a wonderfully ripe, kitschy Melodrama, with Manon's liaisons with Des Grieux and her sugar daddy setting each other off like ticking time bombs. Glossing the title in a cheeky mood,the writers ruin all of the good will they build up by taking the title into sour wrong turns,with moments such as a rape scene feeling completely disconnected to the rest of the film. Looking like she is walking down the catwalk, Catherine Deneuve gives an excellent performance as Manon,who when laying around in bed is given a sex kitten purr which Deneuve bites into, to reveal playful fangs,as Manon reaches 70.