The Best Way Movie Review

Claude Miller worked with François Truffaut on eight movies before he made the shift from assistant to director. Unlike Truffaut, Miller's view of life is harsh and blunt. Marc, the major character in The Best Way, is discovered romping alone in woman's clothing by Philippe, a fellow boys’ camp director. The two begin a brutal, uneasy relationship, with Marc (Patrick Bouchitey) consistently cast as underdog. Philippe (Patrick Dewaere) taunts Marc, belittles him, tosses him in the water, even hits him, and still Marc comes back for more. At the end, an unusual resolution occurs between the two, and Miller stages it with tense excitement. By this time, he has drawn us into Marc's humiliation so completely that we are nearly as involved in his pain as he is. Sadly, both Dewaere and Christine Pascal ended their thriving careers by committing suicide, Dewaere at 35 in 1982 and Pascal at 42 in 1996. AKA: The Best Way to Walk; La Meilleure Façon de Marcher.

1976 85m/C FR Patrick Dewaere, Patrick Bouchitey, Christine Pascal, Claude Pieplu; D: Claude Miller; W: Luc Beraud, Claude Miller; C: Bruno Nuytten; M: Alain Jomy. VHS