Michel Audiard is one of the authors of the greatest lines of French cinema. By signing Le Cave se rebiffe, Le Guignolo, Garde à vue, Le Président, Les Vieux de la vie, Un taxi pour Tobruk or One Hundred Thousand Dollars in the Sun, he entered the pantheon of the best dialogue writers! And among his rich filmography, despite the years, the feature film is still as popular.
- And 56 years later, we’re still using this brilliant replica invented by Michel Audiard
Monkey in Winter was released in 1962 and we meet Jean Gabin as Albert, a former sailor in China who is an alcoholic and decides to stop drinking, much to the dismay of his friend Lucien Esneau. But when the young Gabriel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) arrives in the city after fifteen years, drowning in alcohol from the failure of his love life with his girlfriend who stayed in Madrid, Albert has one last drunk with him.
To this day, Monkey in Winter remains AlloCiné Internet users’ 5th favorite movie of 1962, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 5, tied with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Silence and Shadows, Sanjuro, The Birds or even The. The taste of Saké and this is undoubtedly the merit of the dialogues he has developed.
Because Monkey in Winter has no shortage of iconic lines: “You have a little wine and a bad drink”, “If you drank faster, he would be here already, things will take us”, “We don’t pay anymore, we are disgusted” or even “Ma’am, I was charmed, positively charmed”But one of them left an even bigger impression.
Audiard has made a specialty of scolding “idiots” in his writings and especially in his dialogues, this time choosing a metaphor that suits him well and hasn’t aged a bit:
“Mr. Esno, if stupidity isn’t paid for by social security, you’ll end up broke.”
The answer comes when Albert (Gabin) and Gabriel (Belmondo) arrive at Lucien Esneau’s (Paul Francheur) café to continue their drunken tour. They order Kalva and Esno is pleased that Albert has started drinking again. Then Gabriel turns slowly and utters this poignant sentence: “Mr. Esno, if stupidity isn’t paid for by social security, you’ll end up broke.”
This line, which is a long metaphor meant to emphasize the café owner’s lack of intelligence, is brilliantly delivered by Jean-Paul Belmondo under Gabin’s gaze. Esno doesn’t break, but after another exchange, he gets a monumental slam from Albert with a follow up. “And that’s just a warning shot!”
Film and lines like we don’t make anymore!
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
