Repeated on Arte, this little-known and adored French film by a legendary filmmaker

Claude Lelouch’s jewel

Claude Lelouch’s prolific filmography features, at its extremes, hot and cold. In his greatest successes, they are therea Palme d’Or in 1966 and an Oscar for best foreign film in 1967 A man and a woman. There is still commercial success, poorly received by critics and then becoming a cult Adventure is adventureJean-Paul Belmondo’s last great success Itinerary of a spoiled child…And there is too Happy New Yeara detective and romantic comedy from 1973, whose appreciation is proportionally inverse to its notoriety.

It’s New Year’s Eve and the prison director offers his inmates a screening of a film. While the images of “A Man and a Woman” scroll by, a real revolt breaks out among the prisoners. The director releases three anyway. Simon (Lino Ventura), a gangster, is released and goes to his marital home to celebrate the new year. But his wife replaced him.

The next day, Simon accompanies his friend Charlot (Charles Gérard) to Cannes. Both begin to prepare the robbery of a prestigious jewelry store. But Simon also seems very interested in the young antiques dealer Françoise (Françoise Fabian) who works right next door…

Kieslowski, Nescafé, Happy New Year and Tom Cruise

In the role of Simon, which Claude Lelouch custom-wrote for Lino Ventura after their collaboration Adventure is adventure, the Italian actor offers one of his best performances. Charming but poorly educated and uncouth gangster, in love with a cultured, liberated and independent woman, he also receives thethe only awards of his careerthe Male Performance Award at the San Sebastian Festival in 1973 and the Sant Jordi Award in 1974, and a special David shared with Françoise Fabian at the David di Donatello 1974.

Actually Happy New Year it traveled very well, even arriving Stanley Kubrick’s list of favorite films, perhaps the most idolized director in history. This is another prestigious director who told itSydney Pollack, during a conversation about the film Eyes tightly closed in which he plays a role:

We spent hours discussing Kieslowski. Stanley was as crazy about it as I was. We also discussed at length the Nescafé commercials filmed in London at that time: how a few rare words can tell a story. He re-edited the ads and sent them to me on tape. One of his favorite films of his was Claude Lelouch’s “La Bonne Année”, which is also one of mine. Stanley was so enthusiastic about it that he took a copy and showed it to Tom.

“I need you to be real.”

Two years ago, Claude Lelouch raised the topic and Stanley Kubrick’s consideration of his film, in an exchange with Philippe Rouyer after the screening of Adventure is adventure.

(Stanley Kubrick) loved this movie. One day he called me to tell me that he was going to show this film to all his actors before shooting it and told them: “I need you to be real.”

Sydney Pollack told me: “the day before filming (of “Eyes Wide Shut”, ed.), we were supposed to “enjoy” “Happy New Year” with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman! But we had a lot of fun.”

Beyond Stanley Kubrick and Sydney Pollack, all of American cinema welcomed Claude Lelouch’s film with great warmth. In fact, a remake with Peter Falk was made in 1987 by John G. Avildsen, Happy New Yearand Robert De Niro was interested in producing a new remake in the 2000s, but was unable to do so.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

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