La femme d'à côté (1981)

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (original scenario) &
Suzanne Schiffman (original scenario) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1981 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Madame Jouve, the narrator, tells the tragedy of Bernard and Mathilde. Bernard was living happily with his wife Arlette and his son Thomas...

Plot Keywords:

Love Affair | Tennis Court | Motel | Picturebook Writer | Parking Garage

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Gérard Depardieu	...	Bernard Coudray
Fanny Ardant	...	Mathilde Bauchard
Henri Garcin	...	Philippe Bauchard
Michèle Baumgartner	...	Arlette Coudray
Roger Van Hool	...	Roland Duguet
Véronique Silver	...	Madame Odile Jouve
Philippe Morier-Genoud	...	Doctor
Nicole Vauthier
Muriel Combe
Olivier Becquaert	...	Thomas Coudray

Also Known As:

The Woman Next Door (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

France:106 min | USA:106 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | USA:R | UK:12 | UK:AA (original rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Grenoble, Isère, France

Company:

Les Films du Carrosse

Trivia:

The line where Fanny Ardant says "You behave like you are a policeman and I'm a thief" is a reference to Alfred Hitchcock, who frequently used variations on this theme in his films.

Movie Connections:

References The Unknown (1927)

Old Wine, Even Older Bottles

Believe it or not I want to like Truffaut, I really do, but I wish he'd give me a little help in spots. Coincidentally the opening shot - an ambulance leaving a country house clearly laden with the dead - is not unlike the opening shot of Chabrol's latest film, The Bridesmaid. In both cases we know that a given situation has ended in tears and that we are now about to be taken back to the beginning and be privy to its playing out. Despite an antithpathy to Chabrol's leading man and an admiration and respect for Both Truffaut's leads I found it hard to get anything from the Truffaut. I don't really mind his cardboard characters and cardboard situations but if only he had gone to Galeries Lafayette and not Poundstretchers for the cardboard. I've already upset one reader who seems incapable of grasping an essential of journalism is provocation which generates those letters to the editor and understands even less that opinion masquerading as fact is one of the best ways to do it via earlier comments on Truffaut and he seems destined to suffer even more anguish in a moment when I say that I was astounded when this disciple of the 'now', whose mantra was that new is better than good actually used - and not once but twice - an IRIS OUT which dates back to D.W. Griffith. Prior to that he was using Fades extensively. Shame on you, Franny, where's all that nouvelle vague thinking. The 'story' would fit on the head of a pin and still leave room for the King James version of the Bible; Bernard Coudray (Depardieu) is living happily with wife Arlette (Michele Baumgartner) in the middle of East Jesus when the empty house next door is suddenly occupied by Philippe Bauchard (Henri Garcin) and his wife Mathilde (Ardant). 'Meaninful' glances between Depardieu and Ardant complemented by music cues as subtle as a cream pie in the kisser alert us to the fact that these two have a history. Now it's only a question of how long before they get back in the sack and one of them says 'if I can't have you no one will'. Depardieu and Ardant are class acts and they almost create believable characters but with no help from either script or direction their hands are tied. Worth seeing - once if only to learn how NOT to do it.