Getting set to watch Rene Clement's 1954 title Lovers, Happy Lovers! On YouTube,I was sad to find that it had recently been taken off the site.Looking round the site for Clips from Lovers,I was pleased to stumble upon his last ever movie,which led to me getting ready to witness Clement's final sitting.
The plot:
Getting nothing but bad parts in low budget movies, Ann has to rely on babysitter Michelle to cover the costs. Mixed up in the underworld of the movie business,Ann learns that Michelle is to babysit 'Boots' Peter Franklin,the son of a wealthy businessman.Hatching a plan with the mob,Ann sets out a plan to kidnap Boots once Michelle has finished her shift.Unknown to Ann,Michelle has to stay over longer than originally planned,which leads to the plan becoming a kidnapping of 2 pairs of boots.
View on the film:
For his curtain call,co-writer/(along with Nicola Badalucco/Mark Peploe & Luciano Vincenzoni) directing auteur Rene Clement offers shavings of his distinctive,Film Noir style with the forced drinking of Boots,and water running down narrow corridors spreading an icy chill over Boots and Michelle's home invasion. Sadly,Clement limits these moments to showing what could have been,by going for a glossy style,which whilst smoothly handles pulls the rug out of all the tension getting locked in the house.Finding themselves caught in the middle of a kidnapping plot,the screenplay by Clément/ Peploe/Vincenzoni & Badalucco builds a sturdy Home Invasion Thriller within the walls,where the the sounds of threats from the outside are matched by the uneasy level of trust that Boots and Michelle have for each other.
Knocking down the wall,the writers try to flip the situation into a grubby,double-dealing Film Noir,which ends up destroying all the good work that was done in the house,due to the writers pilling all the excuses in for the kidnapping,which leads to extremely abrupt character changes.Whilst the film has a dazzling cast, Nadja Tiller/Robert Vaughn and Vic Morrow are held back from fully sinking into the brittle atmosphere,with the elegant Maria Schneider being the only one to match Francis Lai's great synch score in her performance as Michelle,thanks to Schneider giving Michelle great rough edges,as the baby sitter pays tribute to Rene Clement.
The plot:
Getting nothing but bad parts in low budget movies, Ann has to rely on babysitter Michelle to cover the costs. Mixed up in the underworld of the movie business,Ann learns that Michelle is to babysit 'Boots' Peter Franklin,the son of a wealthy businessman.Hatching a plan with the mob,Ann sets out a plan to kidnap Boots once Michelle has finished her shift.Unknown to Ann,Michelle has to stay over longer than originally planned,which leads to the plan becoming a kidnapping of 2 pairs of boots.
View on the film:
For his curtain call,co-writer/(along with Nicola Badalucco/Mark Peploe & Luciano Vincenzoni) directing auteur Rene Clement offers shavings of his distinctive,Film Noir style with the forced drinking of Boots,and water running down narrow corridors spreading an icy chill over Boots and Michelle's home invasion. Sadly,Clement limits these moments to showing what could have been,by going for a glossy style,which whilst smoothly handles pulls the rug out of all the tension getting locked in the house.Finding themselves caught in the middle of a kidnapping plot,the screenplay by Clément/ Peploe/Vincenzoni & Badalucco builds a sturdy Home Invasion Thriller within the walls,where the the sounds of threats from the outside are matched by the uneasy level of trust that Boots and Michelle have for each other.
Knocking down the wall,the writers try to flip the situation into a grubby,double-dealing Film Noir,which ends up destroying all the good work that was done in the house,due to the writers pilling all the excuses in for the kidnapping,which leads to extremely abrupt character changes.Whilst the film has a dazzling cast, Nadja Tiller/Robert Vaughn and Vic Morrow are held back from fully sinking into the brittle atmosphere,with the elegant Maria Schneider being the only one to match Francis Lai's great synch score in her performance as Michelle,thanks to Schneider giving Michelle great rough edges,as the baby sitter pays tribute to Rene Clement.