FRANÇOIS VINCENT PAUL AND THE OTHERS Movie Review

Vincent, François, Paul et les Autres

The films of Claude Sautet will always serve as perfect examples of the huge gap that existed—at least a couple of decades ago—between French filmmakers and their Hollywood counterparts. If Hollywood still believes in “high-concept”—plots describable in one sentence—then Sautet represents the true polar opposite. The story of Vincent, François, Paul and the Others is less like a simple plot with accompanying subplots than it is like a spinning top; Sautet gives us a fully formed universe of acquaintances, sets them in motion, and lets us revel in the way they remain in a delicate balance. This is a movie about a group of friends and lovers who try to work their problems through with each other, and who do it by talking instead of shooting. Their troubles aren't high-tech, either; there are failing businesses, strained marriages, precarious health—but no approaching asteroids. These people are adults, and act as such, and yet they still love, lust, suffer, and laugh, and they know how to have a good time. What'll they think of next? Starring Yves Montand, Stéphane Audran, Michel Piccoli, Gérard Depardieu, Serge Reggiani, and Marie Dubois.

NEXT STOP … César & Rosalie, Un Coeur en Hiver, Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud

1976 113m/C FR Yves Montand, Gerard Depardieu, Michel Piccoli, Stephane Audran, Serge Reggiani, Marie DuBois; D: Claude Sautet; W: Claude Sautet, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Claude Neron; C: Jean Boffety; M: Philippe Sarde. VHS, LV, Letterbox FCT, CVC, TPV