Un homme et une femme (1966)

Director:

Claude Lelouch

Writer:

Pierre Uytterhoeven (writer)

Release Date:

12 July 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A man and a woman meet by accident on a Sunday evening at their childrens' boarding school. Slowly they reveal themselves to each other...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Famous Theme | Famous Score | Paris France | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Anouk Aimée	...	Anne Gauthier
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Jean-Louis Duroc (as Jean Louis Trintignant)
Pierre Barouh	...	Pierre Gautier
Valérie Lagrange	...	Valerie Duroc
Antoine Sire	...	Antoine Duroc (as Antoine)
Souad Amidou	...	Françoise Gauthier (as Souad)
Henri Chemin	...	Jean-Louis' Codriver
Yane Barry	...	Mistress of Jean-Louis
Paul Le Person	...	Garage Man
Simone Paris	...	Head Mistress
Gérard Sire	...	Announcer

Also Known As:

A Man and a Woman (Canada: English title) (UK) (USA)
Un hombre y una mujer (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Bir erkek ve bir kadin (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ein Mann und eine Frau (West Germany) [de]
En man och en kvinna (Sweden) [sv]
Enas andras kai mia gynaika (Greece) [el]
Gever V'Eesha (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Kobieta i mezczyzna (Poland) [pl]
Mies ja nainen (Finland) [fi]
Um Homem e Uma Mulher (Portugal) [pt]
Um Homem, uma Mulher (Brazil) [pt]
Un uomo e una donna (Italy) [it]
Un uomo, una donna (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Deauville, Calvados, France

Company:

Les Films 13

Trivia:

Director cameo: Claude Lelouch is seen behind Jean-Louis at the Monte Carlo race. He is holding a camera.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Growing Pains: Jason's Rib (#2.8)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Samba Saravah

a good story, well told can be appreciated now and then

`A Man and A Woman (Un homme et une femme)'. ****. (1966, France, Not Rated 102 min. Directed by Claude Lelouch with Anouk Aimée, Jean-Louis Trintignant). I recently watched `Lumière and Company' which celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the movie industry. Forty directors from around the world produced 52-second films using the Lumière camera. The fifty-two second time limit and other constraints follow the construct of the first Lumière movie. Of the 40 films, the by-far-and-away best is the one of two lovers kissing. The man and woman are on a rotating stage so we get a 360-degree view of their kiss. In the background we see photographers each with progressively more modern cameras. The love or passion of the man and the woman don't change only the way we are able to view them now and then.

So what does this have to do with Claude Lelouch's 1996 movie, `A Man and A Woman'? Well he's the director that made the above mentioned film and it reminded me that it has been years since I last watched `A Man and A Woman.' I rented and watched it again.

Jean-Louis Duroc (Trintignant) and Anne Gauthier (Aimée) are a man and woman. They meet incidentally at the boarding school where they visit their children each weekend. He visits his son, she her daughter. She misses her train and he offers her ride back to ride back to Paris in his car. Slowly and cautiously we learn about them as they learn about one another. We learn about their jobs, their former spouses, and other details of their lives that have the movie viewer hoping this man and woman can become a couple.

Lelouch's technique in telling the story is wonderful. The film switches from black and white to color. The switch usually comes on the change from person-to-person conversation to personal thoughts or a recounting of the past. It's like Lelouch is using this change as quotation marks or thought balloons on the screen. We see/hear Jean-Louis' and Anne's thoughts as they question their feelings about beginning a new personnel relationship. I first saw this movie as a college student in 1966. I really liked it then. I wondered if I'd liked it now. The movie hasn't changed but I can assure you I have. `A Man and A Woman' proves that a good story, well told can be appreciated now and then. I highly recommend that you rent and watch `A Man and A Woman.'