Too Beautiful for You (1989) Trop belle pour toi (original title)

Director:

Bertrand Blier

Writer:

Bertrand Blier (writer)

Release Date:

April 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A car dealer, well-to-do and with a beautiful wife, finds himself attracted to his rather plain new temporary secretary...

Plot Keywords:

Secretary | Car Dealer | Joy | Bedroom | Nervousness

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Josiane Balasko	...	Colette Chevassu
Gérard Depardieu	...	Bernard Barthélémy (as Gerard Depardieu)
Carole Bouquet	...	Florence Barthélémy / La voisine de Colette
François Cluzet	...	Pascal Chevassu
Roland Blanche	...	Marcello
Myriam Boyer	...	Geneviève
Denise Chalem	...	Lorène
Didier Bénureau	...	Léonce
Philippe Loffredo	...	Tanguy
Stéphane Auberghen	...	Paula
Jean-Louis Cordina	...	Gaby
Jean-Paul Farré	...	Le pianist
Richard Martin	...	Man on the Tram
Philippe Faure	...	Le mari de Colette
Juana Marques	...	La fille
Flavien Lebarbe	...	Le fils
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sylvie Orcier	...	Marie-Catherine (uncredited)
Sylvie Simon	...	Receptionist (uncredited)

Directed by
Bertrand Blier

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bertrand Blier		writer

Produced by
Catherine Blier Florin	....	co-producer
Bernard Marescot	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Philippe Rousselot

Film Editing by
Claudine Merlin

Casting by
Margot Capelier
Marie-Christine Lafosse

Production Design by
Théobald Meurisse

Set Decoration by
Jean-Louis Dalloz
Martine Faure
Michel Lagrange
Xavier Legris

Costume Design by
Michèle Cerf		(as Michèle Marmande-Cerf)

Makeup Department
Joël Lavau	....	makeup artist
Thierry Marino	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Christian Lambert	....	unit manager
Gilles Loutfi	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Philippe Chapus	....	second assistant director
Luc Goldenberg	....	first assistant director
Albane Guilhe	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Michel Grimaud	....	property master

Sound Department
Michel Barlier	....	sound dubbing
Paul Bertault	....	sound engineer
Louis Gimel	....	sound engineer
Stéphanie Granel	....	sound editor
Matthieu Imbert	....	assistant sound engineer
Jean-Pierre Lelong	....	sound effects editor
Jacques Lévy	....	sound dubbing
Mario Melchiorri	....	sound effects editor
Marion Monestier	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Pierre Baronsky	....	electrician
Philippe Barrillet	....	electrician
Jean-Luc Bezeau	....	grip
Valérie Blier	....	still photographer
Bernard Brégier	....	grip
Gerard Buffard	....	grip
Michel Garçon	....	electrician
Vincent Gheyssens	....	assistant camera
David Kennedy	....	electrician
Gérard Rival	....	grip
Myriam Touzé	....	camera operator
Richard Vidal	....	electrician
Eric Wiser	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sophie Breton	....	assistant costume designer
Gil Noir	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Jean-Pierre Faugeras	....	assistant editor
Yvan Lucas	....	color timer
Sylvie Quester	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Odette Gartenlaub	....	musician: piano

Other crew
Claude Davy	....	press attache
Sylvie François	....	production secretary
Jean-Christophe Hedier	....	assistant press attache
Chantal Malrat	....	production administrator (as Chantal Malrat-Atanassian)
Marie-Noëlle Zurstrassen	....	script supervisor (as Marie-Noël Zurstrassen)

Production Companies

• Ciné Valse (co-production)
• DD Productions (co-production) (as D.D. Productions)
• Orly Films (co-production)
• Societé d'Exploitation et de Distribution de Films (SEDIF) (co-production) (as S.E.D.I.F.)
• TF1 Films Production (co-production)

Distributors

• AMLF (1989) (France) (theatrical)
• Studio Canal (2007) (France) (DVD)
• Cinepix / Famous Players Distribution (C/FP) (1990) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Orion Classics (1990) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• TOP-Film (1990) (Austria) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chanel  costumes: Carole Bouquet
• Yves Saint Laurent  clothes: Gérard Depardieu

Also Known As:

"Trop belle pour toi" - France (original title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Argentina:16 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | USA:R | UK:18

Company:

Ciné Valse

Quotes:

Colette Chevassu:Beauty hurts.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: The Hunt for Red October/House Party/Courage Mountain/Rosalie Goes Shopping/Too Beautiful for You" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Schubert lieder

Clever film on the meaning of love.

In this clever take on love and relationships, the affairs of three people are enigmatically portrayed. Everyone adores Bernard's wife Florence. His friends lust for her, her friends envy her. She is very beautiful, and for Bernard there is nothing more left to desire. And that is precisely what troubles him: she may just be too beautiful. His secretary, a temp named Colette, is completely the opposite to Florence. But in her physical unattractiveness Bernard finds a refuge to his peculiar dilemma. Despite of what may seem as a logical explanation, he is not plagued by an inferiority complex. What drives Bernard is the psychological force of the middle-age crisis. Some people wonder whether what they have is as good as it gets. Bernard actually knows that. The second he is near Florence he knows that that is true; gazes of his friends reassure him in that.

With Colette, however, he feels completely at ease. There is no need for self-assertion and he is free to choose. Naturally, there is much more to this film, which is full of surprises and unexpected events. The only country where such a complex and somewhat surrealistic plot could have been brought to life, where careful avoidance of turning the film into a soap opera, a pointless comedy, or a tedious drama meets with the bittersweet taste of love and desire is France, and the philosophy of love, the satire, and the superb acting -- Depardieu, Bouquet, and Balasko make a lovely team -- are also typically French here. Ironically enough, the question of the age is inverted to "what does a MAN want?"