Exposed sex and nudity, this cursed and censored film is resurfacing in theaters

A cursed, censored film rejected by its author Marcel Carnet, Les Jeunes loups has received a special release in a restored 4K version thanks to Malavida Films.

The story follows Allen, played by Christian Haye, whose beauty is only matched by his ambitions. Coming from a modest family, he does not hesitate to monetize his charms with bourgeois and aristocrats, women and men.

At the same time, Allen meets Sylvie (Heide Politoff), a lively and free young woman, whom he falls in love with. Their paths cross with Chris (Yves Benetton), a high-society hippie who’s totally caught up in the momentum of the nascent May 68 rebellion… and irresistibly drawn to Sylvie. Their trio will quickly encounter the uncertainty and danger of a life that was more modern than its time.

This feature film made in 1968 is a real emo in the career of Marcel Carnet, the legendary director of Quai des Fogs, Hôtel du Nord, Le Jour se lève or Les enfants du Paradis.

A breath of freedom

At the age of 62 at the time, the director weaves a work that completely embraces the desire for emancipation of youth, reflecting the well-known events of May 68. Indeed, Les Jeunes loups appeared in cinemas on April 2, 1968, causing a real scandal.

The wind of freedom blowing on this film drew the wrath of the censors, who removed the film from the poster after only a few days of exploitation for its immorality. The work paints an uncompromising portrait of the youth of the time, who dare to be sexually liberated, sleeping with women and men as they please.

Enchanting Bo

Augmented by an intoxicating soundtrack, Les Jeunes loups allowed Nicole Croisille (a.k.a. Tuesday Jackson) to achieve monster success with the film’s most memorable song. I will never leave you.

Between overt sex, nudity, and harsh criticism of the bourgeoisie, this provocative feature film by Marcel Carne was ultimately eclipsed by May 68, the events of which took place only a month after its release.

Then the work was forgotten, rejected by the director himself, exhausted and exceeded by censorship. The filmmaker at the time refused to attend the premiere of his film in protest at the cuts.

Actor Yves Beniton, who plays Chris in Les Jeunes loups, recalls the anger of Marcel Carnes.

“Generally, I’ve always managed to get a VHS copy of the films I’ve been in from the directors. As for Les Jeunes loups, I contacted Marcel Carne, but he didn’t want to know more about the film. He admitted that he even asked the distributor to bury the film in his basement .He confided in the magazine in 2007 i sing.

Marcel Carnet, a benevolent character?

The actor, who is now 76 years old, returned to the uncompromising attitude of the director during the filming of the film.

“Carne wrote that the film failed because of the atmosphere during the shooting. But one of my joys with this film is that we had on the set all the old film technicians of 30 years old: the old make-up artist. They call Arakelian, the machine boss Cass … I would love to work With all these legends of pre-war cinema”he recalls.

“But Marcel Carne spent days on the set screaming. Going back to Young Wolves, I can tell you that there was no bad atmosphere in that movie.

The only bad atmosphere was the one Carne created. A director is someone who must be loved by his team. And if there is a bad atmosphere at the shooting, you have to go back to the director. it’s that simple”Yves Benetton said.

“In his memoirs, Carnet blames the film’s failure on the actors and the censors. My eye! I think he was just asked to hide his breasts in the pool scene.”concluded the actor, who still holds a grudge against the director who died in 1996 at the age of 90.

54 years after its release, Les Jeunes loups is still in force in cinemas, a chance to form your own opinion on this cursed piece of French cinema.

Note that the film, after decades of obscurity, was slated for a November 2012 Marcel Carne retrospective at the Cinémathèque française. A special screening was also held in Deauville on September 19, 2013, as part of a series of films shot in that city.