Saturday 19 April 2008

"Out of the 300 I've Screwed, I'd Recognise 20"

You were going to get a post about my dreams, but Dan was saying the other day how much he and Marie love watching romantic films. Which got me thinking. I'm not into "chick" films, but there are a lot of films which are romantic but aren't just for women. These tend to be older films and foreign ones.

I'm guessing that none of you will want to watch this, but one of my favourite "romantic" films is Les Gout Des Autres. You wouldn't think it from the title, but it's in French.

Anyway, the film's title in English is either "The Taste of Others", or "It Takes All Kinds". I think it's known in America by the latter, which is less of a literal translation, but describes what the film is all about.

Our hero Mr Castella is a businessman who owns a factory somewhere in provincial France. He was educated in the university of life. He is married to a nightmare of a wife who fancies herself as an interior designer. Except that you wouldn't want her to design your interior. Unless you were Barbara Cartland. They spend their evenings watching soaps.

One evening they have to go to the theatre, because their neice is acting in a play. They get there, unenthusiastically, and then when it starts Castella says "Shit, it's in verse!". However, he changes his mind when he sees one of the actresses. It's love at first sight. By an amazing co-incidence he was also about to employ her to teach him English.

English Lessons (Jean-Pierre Bacri & Anne Alvaro)

She doesn't like him because he's a philistine, who writes her embarrassing love poems as part of his English exercises. He, on the other hand is making a reasonable job of trying to get used to her world, even commissioning artwork from one of her gay friends.
[Not that there's anything wrong with it]

The film's writer, director and real-life wife of Jean-Pierre Bacri (Castella) is Agnes Jaoui. She plays a barmaid who deals drugs on the side. She serves Castella's chauffeur and recognises him. He's surprised, says he doesn't remember her. How does she know him? "We just had sex, that's all", she replies.

So they spend another night together. "How could I forget?" he asks. Later she admits to her friend, "How could I remember?" Never mind, she's soon having a much more satisfying time with Castella's bodyguard.

Agnes Jaoui during filming

It's a film that has me laughing all the way through. Oh, and you find out at the end the point of all those clips of the chauffeur practising the flute. I realised when I started writing this that I could have written a blog post about each of 5 or 6 characters, you get to know them all so well. Which is good going for 108 minutes.

One other thing about this film (and "Comme une Image" also with Jaoui and Bacri) is the wonderful use of music. If you ever get the chance and you can even stand subtitles a bit, watch it.

19 comments:

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

Hey, where in the holy hair did the rest of my letters go? It was magnificent!
Can anyone guess what I was trying to spell? Hmmmm?

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

Now i've completely forgotten my comment. I'll be back when I've regrouped.

Brian o vretanos said...

Tracy:

Wow! That was quick!

The emailed version had all the letters in their full magnificence. (is that a word???)

Now I'm off to bed...

Jean Knee said...

well, how'd you sneak this one in?


I'm gonna have to read through it again and take some notes

Jean Knee said...

My favorite Romance is Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

George and Martha make such a great couple on and off the screen


the play bt Edward Albee is also awesome

Dan said...

I'll for sure find it and watch it.
It will be the first movie I've seen with subtitles.

Brian o vretanos said...

Jean Knee:

I really ought to be more well-read and well-watched, but I've never seen WAOVW. Do you think I'd like it?

(Or maybe I should pretend I've seen it to seem more cultured)

Dan:

It's a fun film.

Brian o vretanos said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brian o vretanos said...

Jean Knee:

Hmmm. Yes, a seminal work - and still with tangible relevance to our post-modern Internet era.

Dan:

It's a fun film.

Bee said...

I'm currently sitting outside waiting for my little one and her mom so we can go buy flowers.
We start our garden today even if people are warning me its too soon.

The movie sounds funny do you think they'd remake it in English?

Next post better be about your dream! ;o)

Brian o vretanos said...

Bee:

I don't see why they couldn't remake it.

Enjoy your gardening...

You were eleventh.

Jean Knee said...

I don't think you will like it WAOVW just cuz I don' know any men who have liked it except for two gay men.
Wait, I shouldn't say like it but thought it was funny. It was hysterical to me but most men find it to be merely dysfunctional--which it is.

Even if you hate it I can guarantee you won't think it's boring.

I'm afraid I must insist that you watch it now.

I'm high on benadryl...so?

Jean Knee said...

I will also have to say.....Liz Taylor can not act but in this she was brilliant.

Brian o vretanos said...

Jean Knee:

I've just been off doing some checking, and the film doesn't appear to be currently available in the UK, though a CD of the soundtrack is. Strange! I'll certainly put it on my list of ones to watch, though. The IMDb rating is 8.1.

Dan said...

I'll wait fot the English version then.

Jean Knee said...

Dan, I believe you would love that movie.

8.1 is a lie. a lie I say!!! it's a 10 and nothing less.

I think I have a vhs tape of it somewhere in the hoard

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

I don't mind subtitles so much. I have La vie En Rose coming up next on my netflix list. I hear it's very good and it's in French so it has subtitles.
I wish I spoke French. Maybe i should have paid more attention in my high school classes. :(

Brian o vretanos said...

Jean Knee:

8.1 is pretty high for IMDb. You should vote...

Tracy:

I failed French at school - having to learn vocabulary and stuff was just too much like hard work.