A hugely sunny actor with a destiny both romantic and utterly tragic, deeply committed and exhausted by many personal tragedies, Romy Schneider is still unanimously appreciated decades after his death. An iconic actor with a great modernity that can also please the younger generation.
If a few filmmakers were full of praise for him, like Bertrand Tavernier, for example, who directed him in the very big (and trying…) film La Mort en direct, others did not hide that they had. Difficult relationship with him. Among them, the famous French director: Claude Chabrol.
Interesting work
His 1975 film The Innocents with Dirty Hands is a curious, little-known work; And to be honest, not really the most memorable, in the middle of a long filmography that has left a much more visible mark. “This is a movie I made with my finger in my ear” Chabrol commented, unhappy with his film.
With a solid cast of Rod Steiger, Jean Rochefort and François Meister, the film follows a man, Louis Wormser (played by Steiger), who lives in retirement with his much younger wife, Julie. Heartbroken, he must avoid sexual intercourse and is drunk to forget his disappointment. Julie becomes Jeff’s mistress. The lovers decide to kill Wormser by covering up his death as a boating accident…
“He had no sense of humor.”
Romy Schneider plays the role of Julie Wormser in the film; Machiavellian and adulterous wife. The relationship between him and Chabrol will be very tense. “He had no sense of humor. I always tried to laugh at him, which made him feel terrible! He always took his work very seriously. Some reached the point of being ridiculous. He looked too much for permanent genius, and he ended up doing tons of it.” said Chabrol, whose words were quoted in a biography published in 2021 by Antoine de Baeke dedicated to the filmmaker*(1).
And Chabrol drives the point home a little further: “In fact, we were not meant to be together, especially since neither of us tried to understand the other. What annoyed me most was that he behaved in the same way in life as the action on the screen continued, always, in all circumstances, tirelessly. The two would, in fact, never work together again.
*(1) Quoted in last n°53 SchnockDedicated to Rome Schneider.
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.
