Summary
Bernard is a successful car dealer with a beautiful and adoring wife. His life is
turned upside-down when he falls in love with his secretary, Colette. Although she
is rather plain and somewhat vulgar, Bernard is overwhelmed by his passion for Colette,
who feels just as strongly about him, even though she too is married...
Review
Bertrand Blier’s most impressive film to date, Trop belle pour toi is an intensely
melancholic and moving portrait of obsession and marital infidelity starring France’s
leading actor, Gérard Depardieu. When the film was released it received mixed reviews
from film critics but it went on to earn a brace of prestigious awards, including the
Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 1989 and three Césars in 1990 (best film, best script
and best director).
Although less anarchistic and extreme than Blier’s preceding films, Trop belle pour
toi is just as unpredictable, surprising and absorbing. What is most remarkable
is how Blier can take such a simple, almost trite, plot and transform it into a work of
profound significance and depth. With the narrative switching seemlessly between
past and present, Blier cleverly develops his characters and show how the unlikely affair
between a successful businessman and his plain secretary transforms the lives of these
characters and their respective spouses.
Blier is masterfully served by his talented lead actors, with Depardieu, Josiane Balasko
and Carole Bouquet turning in some of their finest performances. Add to that some
mesmerising photography and a well-crafted script (in which Blier’s dark humour is evident
as ever) and the result cannot fail to be a major cinematic achievement.
© James Travers 2002
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