Loulou (1980)

Pialat's portrait of contemporary France mocks prosperity as a substitute for social and sexual revolution. Isabelle Huppert abandons her bourgeois friends and a steady relationship for the... See full summary »

Director:

Maurice Pialat

Writers:

Arlette Langmann (scenario), Arlette Langmann (adaptation),

Stars:

Isabelle Huppert, Gérard Depardieu, Guy Marchand

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Huppert	...	Nelly
Gérard Depardieu	...	Loulou
Guy Marchand	...	André
Humbert Balsan	...	Michel
Bernard Tronczak	...	Rémy (as Bernard Tronczyk)
Christian Boucher	...	Pierrot
Frédérique Cerbonnet	...	Dominique
Jacqueline Dufranne	...	Mémère
Willy Safar	...	Jean-Louis
Agnès Rosier	...	Cathy
Patricia Coulet	...	Marité
Jean-Claude Meilland	...	Jean-Claude, le gars du casse
Patrick Playez	...	Thomas
Gérald Garnier	...	Lulu
Catherine De Guirchitch	...	Marie-Jo

Storyline

Pialat's portrait of contemporary France mocks prosperity as a substitute for social and sexual revolution. Isabelle Huppert abandons her bourgeois friends and a steady relationship for the unemployed layabout Depardieu. His charms include focusing his energy into sex.

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Plot Keywords:

sex | urban setting | infidelity | topless female nudity | robbery | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

3 September 1980 (France)

Also Known As:

A vagány

Company Credits

Production Co:

Action Films, Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Cinema Goes to Dinner (2005)

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Soundtracks

"La nouvelle vaque"
(Armand Canfora (as Canfora) - Richard Anthony (as Anthony) )
par Richard Anthony (as R. Anthony)
Disques Pathé. Editions Marconi

User Reviews

Pialat looks at sexual need

Pialat films people in extreme emotional situations, usually with several violent scenes. In La Gueule ouverte, he's dealing with the devastating effects on a woman's husband and son as she dies of cancer. In A nos amours, the teenage girl's sexual experimentation leads to violent confrontations with her family. Here we have a rather spoiled young woman who abandons her husband to take up with a sexy ex-con. Her motivation is a little cloudy, since Loulou is incapable of reading or discussing anything more challenging than TV shows; on the other hand, he's got a fabulous body (I wonder why Depardieu never made a sports movie to show off that physique--he would have been great as a rugby player).

The casting is impressive. Isabelle Huppert gives a committed performance as Nelly; her middle class reserve plays well against Depardieu's loutish energy. Depardieu plays Loulou with all the dynamism and charm you could want--see the scene in the bar, where he's stabbed in the gut, runs away and seeks treatment, then soon restarts with Nelly. Guy Marchand, with those coal-black eyes and distressed look, plays Nelly's husband beautifully; it's a fine repeat of their pairing in Diane Kurys's Coup de foudre.