Fruits of Summer

The first of Raymond Bernard 's three final comedies ," Les Fruits De L'Ete" does not possess the same appeal as "Le Septième Commandement " (also featuring Edwige Feuillère) or as his successful attempt at a black humor comedy ("Le Septième Ciel")

The screenplay looks like the worst of today's scripts :the father ,a High Commissioner for criminal youth ,whose career took the best of him ,mommy ,an antique dealer ,a liberal woman who leaves her dear daughter a free hand ;even more,she takes part in their "Surboums" (parties) and their costumes contests,all set in a luxury apartment.The father is horrified when he sees that bacchanalia :high time she changed her degenerate ways or else the scandal could endanger his career and deprive him of his well-earned Legion D'Honneur!The plot thickens when the dearest darling gets pregnant by her boyfriend and does not want to marry him ,because "the pattern set by her parents is far from being perfect ".But an unwed mother would be a shame in this bourgeois family .Mom's stroke of genius :she will pass herself off as the future baby's mother ,like in Delmer Daves' 'Susan Slade " in the sixties .There the comparison ends .

Compared to Bernard's two follow-ups ,"Les Fruits De l'Eté" sounds distastefully bourgeois ;Jeanne Fusier-Gir is wasted as the hopeless private tutor (and chaperon) ;as mom's marriage is on the rocks,she has got become reconciled with her hubby ,which makes the ending eminently predictable (the title itself is a spoiler).

Do choose the two movies I mention above and avoid this tomfoolery.