We Won't Grow Old Together (1972)

A husband and wife in a loveless marriage struggle to remain ignorant to their failed relationship.

Director:

Maurice Pialat

Writer:

Maurice Pialat (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Marlène Jobert, Jean Yanne, Christine Fabréga

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlène Jobert	...	Catherine
Jean Yanne	...	Jean
Christine Fabréga	...	Mère de Catherine
Patricia Pierangeli	...	Annie
Jacques Galland	...	Père de Catherine
Maurice Risch	...	Michel
Harry-Max	...	Père de Jean
Muse Dalbray	...	La grand-mère de Catherine
Macha Méril	...	Françoise

Storyline

Jean has been married to Francoise for years, but his relationship with his wife has been all but over for a long time. She's hardly ever around, always traveling to Russia for work, and she drifts in and out of the film as well, reflecting the ephemeral nature of their marriage.

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional marriage | marriage problems | older husband younger wife relationship | husband wife relationship | statement in title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa de contrôle cinématographique N° 38.823.

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

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Soundtracks

LA CREATION
("By thee with grace")
Joseph Haydn (as Haydn)
Musica AEterna
direction Frederic Waldman
DECCA 410 002
Soprano: Judith Raskin (uncredited)
Tenor: John McCollum (uncredited)
Bass: Chester Watson (uncredited)

User Reviews

An example for us to contemplate and maybe even pity?

This film takes us through the sadness of a break-up. When a couple drift apart, married or not, there is pain, not just for the two but for those close to them. We see the effects on Catherine's parents and grandmother, and on Jean's wife. Grief at wrong turnings and lost opportunities, at love which no longer sustains, isn't that the stuff of drama, from the story of Adam and Eve onwards?

Yet some reviewers seem unhappy with aspects of the film, citing the unappealing behaviour of the male protagonist, the apparently autobiographical nature of the story, and the apparently unpleasant nature of the filmmaker himself.

Of the latter two I know nothing, yet why should they matter? Is a work of art vitiated if it reflects some of the creator's own life, rather the lives of others or pure imagination? Should "David Copperfield" be shunned because its cast includes Dickens and his father? We now know that Dickens treated both his wife and his mistress unadmirably, but does that invalidate his fiction? What about the many works where we know nothing about the creators, or even their identity?

As for Jean in the film, it is not difficult to identify the defects in his nature and behaviour. They are displayed for us to see, commented on by other characters, and sometimes admitted by Jean himself. Behind the cheap machismo and rampant egotism, there must be factors that have led him into this impasse. In the past he managed to charm not one but two very attractive women into a relationship. Though one's prime sympathy must be for these two women, isn't his downfall, however much self-inflicted, an example for us to contemplate and maybe even pity?

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Russian

Release Date:

7 September 1972 (Italy)

Also Known As:

We Won't Grow Old Together

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,677, 10 June 2012

Gross USA:

$14,104

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,104

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lido Films, Empire Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1