Vincent, François, Paul and the Others (1974)

Three friends face mid-life crises. Paul is a writer who's blocked. François has lost his ideals and practices medicine for the money; his wife grows distant, even hostile. The charming ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Sautet

Writers:

Claude Néron (novel), Jean-Loup Dabadie (screenplay)

Stars:

Yves Montand, Michel Piccoli, Serge Reggiani

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yves Montand	...	Vincent
Michel Piccoli	...	François
Serge Reggiani	...	Paul
Gérard Depardieu	...	Jean Lavallee
Stéphane Audran	...	Catherine - La femme de Vincent
Marie Dubois	...	Lucie - La femme de François
Umberto Orsini	...	Jacques
Ludmila Mikaël	...	Marie
Antonella Lualdi	...	Julia - La femme de Paul
Catherine Allégret	...	Colette
Betty Beckers	...	Myriam
Yves Gabrielli	...	Michel
Jean Capel	...	Jamain
Mohamed Galoul	...	Joe Catano
Jacques Richard	...	Armand

Storyline

Three friends face mid-life crises. Paul is a writer who's blocked. François has lost his ideals and practices medicine for the money; his wife grows distant, even hostile. The charming Vincent, everyone's favorite, faces bankruptcy, his mistress leaves him, and his wife, from whom he's separated, wants a divorce. The strains on the men begin to show particularly in François and Paul's friendship and in Vincent's health. A younger man, Jack, becomes attractive to Lucie, François's wife. Another young friend, the boxer Jean, who's like a son to Vincent and whose girlfriend is pregnant, has taken a bout with a merciless slugger. Has happiness eluded this circle of friends?

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Plot Keywords:

lighting a cigarette | character names as title | six word title | friend | friendship | 

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Taglines:

France's Most Widely Acclaimed Film of the Year

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Award:

• Prix Jean Vigo (France, 1974).

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Connections

Featured in Claude Sautet or the Invisible Magic (2003)

User Reviews

Great writing, Great acting

I came across this film at the New York Public Library and was intrigued enough by the cast to give it a try. I was not disappointed. 'Vincent, François, Paul... et les autres' could serve as a textbook example of great writing and great acting. The characters are so strongly developed, full of the genuine complexities and contradictions that mark us as human beings. It's refreshing to find a film that is able to achieve this kind of emotional depth. All of the actors do great work, but Montand pretty much steals the show as "Vincent." Full of bluster and sly humor, you see his sadness and vulnerability come out over the course of the film, as several crises come together and almost crush him. In one powerful sequence, we watch and suffer with him as he spends a long, terrible night trying to get help from various friends to keep his business afloat, only to realize how alone he is in the world. I've seen Montand in several films now, and this one may contain his best work of all, as he shows such tremendous range as an actor.

Piccoli also does well as "François," an intelligent and successful doctor who's grown cold over the years and whose frustration and anger build up inside him until he finally loses it at dinner one evening. Serge Reggiani, who I wasn't familiar with, does a great job as "Paul," a writer who can't finish his novel. One of the most intense, emotionally-charged moments in the film (and there are many) is a devastating exchange between Reggiani and Piccoli about "Paul's" unfinished book. Ouch - painful stuff. And a buff, baby-faced Depardieu shows early screen presence and talent as "Jean," an amateur boxer who has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and must decide whether or not to accept a match against a brutal professional fighter who seriously injured another amateur boxer. This sub-plot has an interesting twist and is handled well, as is the father-son type relationship between Montand and Depardieu.

My one complaint is that the women in the film, who all seem beautiful and intelligent and interesting, aren't nearly as well-developed as the male characters, but, then, it is called 'Vincent, François, Paul...' not 'Catherine, Lucie, Julia...' For those folks who don't have patience with "slow-moving films," this one probably isn't for you. The plot is interesting and there are moments of subtle humor that keep the film from becoming too heavy with drama, but it may not be for everyone. An excellent work.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 October 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Vincent, François, Paul and the Others

Filming Locations:

Epinay-sur-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,063

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,063

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lira Films, President Produzioni

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1