Tapage nocturne (1979) User Reviews

Brilliant, As Always

[Karl Self · 31 July 2002]

I saw this movie in original, unsubtitled French, and since I am a bit lackluster in this department I must admit that I might have well missed some of the finer points of the movie's dialogue. That said, it struck me as a typical Brilliant movie ... lots of top - heavy dialogue to the tune that a woman's feelings are ever so mysterious, which serve as an excuse for the (as always, stunningly beautiful) lead actress to get her kit off and prance around half - naked a lot. Calling it pretentious soft porn is probably a bit unfair, but not far off the point -- it seems to me that Cathérine Breillat's ambition far outweighs her ability as a movie maker.

French lack of connection

[fanbaz-549-872209 · 1/10 · 16 January 2017]

There is a guide for those reviewing on this site which rightly asks reviewers to state if their review contains spoilers. Meaning please don't spoil the plot. But this film has no plot. It has minus a plot. It is a series of nothing more than static scenes filmed in gloomy rooms where the leading lady has sex with a number of men. She is sometimes undressed for the event. But all the men bar one attempt the sexual act while still fully dressed. I spent what felt like weeks watching this tedious movie wondering how? I asked my wife. She said it was not possible. I saw this film last night in Turin, where I live. I speak French and Italian. I lived in France long enough to know that French cinema is bloated with self-important phony intellectuals. The French have made great films: Riffi. M. Hulot's Holiday, Rules of the Game. But they have made plenty of turkeys. I preach that the cinema is a place to suspend belief. It helps to know that we are in a kind of dream world. But there are limits. Italians tend to arrive late to the cinema. They seldom walk out. Last night they walked out in droves. I waited to the end to see if there was to be anything that made the film worth making. I should have walked.