Seven directors each dramatize one of the seven deadly sins in a short film. In "Anger," a domestic argument over a fly in the Sunday soup escalates into nuclear war. In "Sloth," a movie star would rather pay someone to tie his shoe than bend over to do it himself, and he can't be bothered to accept a starlet's sexual favors. In "Gluttony," a peasant family on its way to the funeral of a relative who died from indigestion stops regularly to eat and drink en route, arriving in time to eat some more. In "Greed," a high-class prostitute refunds the price of a cadet's lottery ticket. In "Pride," an unfaithful wife finds reason to reform. And so on through lust and envy. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
The 'seven deadly sins' were first introduced by the Catholic Church (needless to say!) in the sixth century. Since then they have proved an inexhaustible source of inspiration for creative artistes and provided boundless entertainment. Let's face it, they are infinitely more interesting than the seven deadly virtues and as Mark Twain observed:"you go to Heaven for the climate, to Hell for the company"! A fair-to-middling portmanteau film about the capital vices had been made in France in 1952 but this later 'New Wave' version is catastrophic and a huge disappointment. Most of the segments are worthless but by the law of averages there has to be just one that is redeeming. That one is directed by Roger Vadim and features Marina Vlady whose wifely pride prevents her leaving her husband, played by Jean-Pierre Aumont, when she discovers that he too is being unfaithful. The linear narrative here at least provides relief from the others. This is followed by a bizarre tale directed by Godard in which Michael Constantine plays a film star who cannot even be bothered to take off his clothes to have sex with a gorgeous starlet as it requires too much effort to put them back on. In keeping with its title 'Sloth' this has the effect of sending one to sleep. The score, mostly by Michel Legrand, is intensely irritating even by his standards but Sacha Distel has written a haunting theme for the 'Pride' segment which would later become an international hit as 'The Good Life'. Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 are monumental misfires by directors trying to be 'clever' which must surely rank as the eighth sin!