StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
dbdumonteil
This is the first of the two movies Jacques Brel made in the early seventies at a time when he had given up singing.His movie is not for all taste ,and it was a flop when it was released ,although it was exciting to watch two legends of La Chanson Française,Brel himself and Barbara .Brel portrays a timorous shy great lump,still Under an over possessive mom's thumb,with whom he communicates by pigeon.He goes sand-yachting ,shrimping on the beach near the boarding-house he lives in.Barbara is cast as a mysterious fallen aristocrat ,always holding an umbrella .The best scenes are those when the two singers play together: in a bunker,the former mercenary tells the woman he's Fallen for about his military past in Katanga,ridiculously imitating the sound of a machine gun.Franz was a war pal he left dying in a ditch.The character (title) is not featured in the film.The marvelous landscapes (it's the seaside ,but it's a "Plat Pays" )could be an ideal romantic background for a love both of them have never known.But all that surrounds them is mean,petty bureaucrats,with their wicked jokes (he is served a dead pigeon),and a sensual woman (Daniele Evenou) who sleeps with all the guests of the boarding -house.Their story was doomed from the start .The last scene is completely unexpected and must have puzzled the viewers.For this final scene,Barbara is cast against type .This is a worthwhile attempt ,but which should be reserved for fans of the two singers ;the others may give up before the end ,because of the loosely organized script.
