Womanlight (1979)

Reciprocal consolation. The background of two middle-aged people (Michel and Lydia) is gradually unfolded. Michel's wife is incurably ill. They had agreed that she would take her life on ... See full summary »

Director:

Costa-Gavras

Writers:

Costa-Gavras, Romain Gary (novel)

Stars:

Yves Montand, Romy Schneider, Romolo Valli

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yves Montand	...	Michel Follin
Romy Schneider	...	Lydia Tovalski
Romolo Valli	...	Galba
Lila Kedrova	...	Sonia Tovalski
Heinz Bennent	...	Georges
Roberto Benigni	...	Le barman du Clapsy's
Dieter Schidor	...	Sven Svensson
Catherine Allégret	...	La prostituée
François Perrot	...	Alain
Daniel Mesguich	...	Commissaire Curbec
Gabriel Jabbour	...	Sacha
Hans Verner	...	Klaus, l'ambassadeur
Jean-Claude Bouillaud	...	Le pilote de ligne
Eliane Borras
Gabriel Dussurget	...	Le directeur des théâtres lyriques

Storyline

Reciprocal consolation. The background of two middle-aged people (Michel and Lydia) is gradually unfolded. Michel's wife is incurably ill. They had agreed that she would take her life on this day. All telephone cables were cut and Michel should leave France for months. But he goes forth and back between the airport and his home street. Once when opening the door of a taxi he destroys Lydia's shopping carrier. They sit down in a café while he writes her a check. During this night they will part and meet again several times. Half a year ago Lydia's husband had a car accident. Their daughter died and the husband got brain injury. His talk is incomprehensible. Tonight is his birthday. Lydia eventually takes Michel to the great feast that is almost over. In the morning they go to Michel's apartment, where police and relatives are already present. Michel and Lydia had agreed to meet at Lydia's apartment on the next morning. When he comes there, a foreign woman invites him in. Lydia soon ...

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Plot Keywords:

car accident | comfort | suicide | prostitute | middle age | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Italy West Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

29 August 1979 (France)

Also Known As:

Womanlight

Filming Locations:

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Corona,Société des Films Gibe,Parva Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1995)

User Reviews

Handsome French weepy contrasts with its maker's other work.

This is an oddity to have come from Constantine Costa Gavras still fresh from his substantial triumph with Z. It's not that the film lacks ambition, with two major stars, a strong support cast and first rate technicians. The surprise is that this one is not about corrupt ideologies mowing down the high minded. It's an odd, rather perverse Grands Boulevards weepy - what used to be called a woman's picture before you risked time in the pillory for using that term.

A bedraggled, aging Montand has a series of chance encounters in a St. Michel cafe which will dominate his next twenty four hours - with animal trainer Valli (excellent in the Corbucci ER PIU) and a middle aged Schneider in whose bed he shortly finds himself. We notice that, unlike Hollywood actors, Europeans find it necessary to take off their pants when they have sex. He sees Valli's music hall act, with a chimp dancing with a pink poodle much to the delight of Japanese tourists, which Montand finds degalasse (the word dying Belmondo applies to Jean Seaberg at the end of BREATHLESS) He also is taken to the soirée run by Schneider's brain damaged husband's mother Kedrova where, drunk and exhausted, Montand manages to communicate with him in gibberish and gesture. Yves and Romy go round the Etoile the wrong way to the exasperation of traffic gendarmes.

A lot of this plays like the surreal non-sequiters in Cocteau, Queneau or lesser Gallic mortals and we have a grim suspicion that the film is leading to some obscure metaphysical statement that will leave you wishing you'd watched the Lee van Cleef movie in number two. However the revelation, when it comes expertly staged and played, makes what we've seen (just about) plausible and leaves us involved with our two mature aged leads.

This one was probably a break or a money spinner for its heavy duty participants but they came at it with high seriousness and the result is more intriguing than most of what was done around it.

A couple of questions. Where is Jean Reno and how does Benigni get that billing for a virtual walk-on? Would his agent like to represent me?