Heartbeat (1968)
"La chamade" (original title)

Lucile, 25, is the beautiful mistress of Charles, a rich, good-hearted businessman. Being a kept woman suits her as she refuses to work. She is grateful to Charles for that but she does not... See full summary »

Director:

Alain Cavalier

Writers:

Françoise Sagan (novel), Françoise Sagan (adaptation),

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, Roger Van Hool

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Lucile
Michel Piccoli	...	Charles
Roger Van Hool	...	Antoine
Amidou	...	Etienne
Philippine Pascal	...	Claire
Louis Rioton
Monique Lejeune
Christiane Lasquin
Matt Carney
Jacques Sereys	...	Johnny
Irène Tunc	...	Diane

Storyline

Lucile, 25, is the beautiful mistress of Charles, a rich, good-hearted businessman. Being a kept woman suits her as she refuses to work. She is grateful to Charles for that but she does not feel true love for him. When she meets Antoine, a charming young man of her age, it is love at first sight. But living with Antoine is not as easy as it was with Charles: Lucile is forced to find a job, which she hates. Moreover, she gets pregnant and has to ask Charles for help. After having an abortion, her love for Antoine gradually fades. That is the reason why she comes back to Charles who, full of indulgence, has patiently waited for her.

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Plot Keywords:

mansion | older man younger woman relationship | love | based on novel

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Taglines:

The heart has many rooms, some filled, most empty.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

27 July 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heartbeat

Filming Locations:

Région parisienne, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Ariane, Les Productions Artistes Associés, Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finnish certificate register # 77529.

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Connections

References Hour of the Wolf (1968)

User Reviews

Sagan's novels can not be well expressed visually

I am prompted to review not based on any passionate feelings for this movie. I tend to agree with those reviewers who did not "feel" Deneuve's portrayal of Lucile in the movie and thus, I think this movie failed. I think in fact all of Sagan's adaptations to film have failed.

But that is why I am adding my review, to disagree with the reviewer who called the original novel "silly." In fact, there is nothing more beautiful and poignant, simultaneously light and heavy, light and dark, as a Francoise Sagan novel. I don't say she is one of the greatest or most profound of French writers even in the 20th century, but she is so far from being silly it offends the senses to hear it; she has a perfect grip of the human heart and its dance with the human mind, and a magnificent grasp of phrasing, enough to convey profundity and round the most incidental of characters that most writers would allow to lay flat.

As this is not a place to review the novel, I will only say in contrast to the film that Lucile's struggle between Antoine and Charles is not passionless nor can it be summed up simply as a "heart vs. head" conflict, although I appreciate this is the easiest way to summarize and is not inaccurate. In short, it gets a 5 from me and not a zero because it is so faithful to the book, and yet, it gets a 5 and not a 10 because (I suspect) the direction and performances were inadequate to the task of explaining the relationships, the everyday, everyman experiences of love &/or heartbreak that Sagan originally put down so masterfully.