Live for Life (1967)

Robert Colomb, a famous TV newscaster, is married to Catherine, but is continually unfaithful. He is about to replace his current mistress, Mireille, with Jacqueline when he meets, and ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Lelouch

Writers:

Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uytterhoeven

Stars:

Yves Montand, Candice Bergen, Annie Girardot

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yves Montand	...	Robert Colomb
Candice Bergen	...	Candice
Annie Girardot	...	Catherine Colomb
Irène Tunc	...	Mireille
Anouk Ferjac	...	Jacqueline
Uta Taeger	...	Lucie / Maid
Jean Collomb	...	Le maître d'hôtel / Waiter
Michel Parbot	...	Michel
Jacques Portet	...	Un ami de Candice / Photographer
Louis Lyonnet	...	Le chef des mercenaires
Maurice Seveno	...	Himself / En personne
Amidou	...	Un photographe
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Léon Zitrone	...	Le présentateur télé

Storyline

Robert Colomb, a famous TV newscaster, is married to Catherine, but is continually unfaithful. He is about to replace his current mistress, Mireille, with Jacqueline when he meets, and becomes fascinated with Candice. He takes her along on an assignment in Kenya and later establishes an "arrangement" with her in Amsterdam. When he tells Catherine about the affair, she is silent. He is assigned to Viet Nam, tells Candice their affair is over and, to his astonishment, discovers that is more than acceptable to her as she as tired of him. Returning from a Vietnamese prison he decides to return also to Catherine, but discovers she has made a new life for herself. He ponders whether he should break into her life again, rekindle their old love or just disappear from her life. While he is pondering, Catherine---a big hand for the little lady---makes the decision for this selfish and conceited ass.

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Plot Keywords:

famous score | 

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Taglines:

After "A MAN AND A WOMAN", the new love story by Claude Lelouch

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 September 1967 (France)

Also Known As:

Live for Life

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Ariane, Les Productions Artistes Associés, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally scheduled to be released in the Soviet Union in 1968. However, Yves Montand condemned the Soviet military intervention in Czechoslovakia that year which is the why the film was shelved and did not premiere in Moscow until 1975.

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Soundtracks

All At Once It's Love
(Aujourd'hui c'est Toi)
Music by Francis Lai
French lyrics by Pierre Barouh
English lyrics by Jerry Keller
Performed by Louis Aldebert
Published by Northern Music Corporation (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Infidelity is such a hassle

Robert Colomb has two full-time jobs. He's known throughout the world as a globetrotting TV reporter. Less well-known but equally effortful are his exploits as a full-time philanderer.

I saw `Vivre pour Vivre' dubbed in English with the title 'Live for Life.' Some life! Robert seems to always have at least three women in his life: one mistress on her way out, one on her way in, and the cheated wife at home. It helps that Robert is a glib liar. Among his most useful lies are `I'll call you tomorrow' and `My work took longer than planned.' He spends a lot of time and money on planes, trains and hotel rooms for his succession of liaisons. You wonder when this guy will get caught with his pants down.

Some may find his life exciting, but I thought it to be tedious. His companions, including his wife, Catherine, are all attractive and desirable women. But his lifestyle is so hectic and he is so deceitful, you wonder if he's enjoying all this.

Adding to the tedium is considerable footage that doesn't further the plot. There are extended sections with no dialogue or French-only dialogue. We see documentaries of wars, torture, and troop training interspersed with the live action. When Robert's flight returns from Africa, we wait and wait for the plane to land and taxi to the airport terminal.

Annie Girardot is the standout performer in this film. Hers was the most interesting character and she played it to perfection. It was also nice to see Candice Bergen at the beginning of her career. I can't find fault with Yves Montand's performance of what was basically an amoral bum.

I enjoyed some of Claude Lelouch's novel techniques. In a hotel room scene, the camera pans around the room as Robert and his mistress argue. We catch sight of them briefly during each pass around the room. In another scene set on a sleeping car of a train, Robert is lying on the upper bunk while his wife is on the lower. Robert is giving his wife some important but distressing news, but we hear only parts of it because of the clatter of the train. I sensed that his wife was also unable to absorb every word due to the shocking nature of the news. I also liked the exciting safari scenes in Africa. The cinematography of those scenes and of those in Amsterdam was superb.

I reviewed this movie as part of a project at the Library of Congress. I've named the project FIFTY: 50 Notable Films Forgotten Within 50 Years. As best I can determine, this film, like the other forty-nine I've identified, has not been on video, telecast, or distributed in the U.S. since its original release. In my opinion, it is worthy of being made available again.