Summary
A young artistic photographer Jérémy needs money to finance an exhibition
of his work. He turns to Maurice, a lonely bachelor who will do almost anything
to buy Jérémy’s company. When his relationship with his girlfriend
starts to fall apart, the young photographer visits a peepshow and is at once struck by
the beauty of one of the performers, Otie. He uses the money Maurice gave him to
pay for further visits to the sex shop...
Review
With its bizarre bisexual love triangle and saucy eroticism, Cent francs l'amour
was one of the most unusual French romantic comedies of the 1980s. Although
the plot is somewhat implausible, the film makes some intelligent observations on the
nature of obsession and shows what lengths individuals are prepared to go to when hooked
by the power of love. Don’t be misled by the opening credit sequence, which gives
the impression of a cheap piece of Emmanuelle-style erotica.
The film stars Pierre-Loup Rajot, one of the sexiest French male actors of the day, a
fact which both director and cinematographer exploit to the full. His co-star, Valérie
Steffen, is not quite so impressive as an actress, but her Bardot-esque beauty makes her
a convincing object of desire, and her peepshow sequences are the stuff of quality soft-core
porn videos. Alluring as these two actors are, the best performances are from Richard
Bohringer and Dominique Pinon. Bohringer’s restrained dramatic portrayal of a lonely
middle-aged homosexual is full of pathos and bitterness, whilst Pinon is peculiarly convincing
as the self-obsessed writer who turns to prostitution to make a quick buck.
© James Travers 2000
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