The Soft Skin
| La Peau douce | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | François Truffaut |
| Produced by | António da Cunha Telles François Truffaut |
| Written by | François Truffaut Jean-Louis Richard |
| Starring | Jean Desailly Françoise Dorléac Nelly Benedetti Daniel Ceccaldi |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
| Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
| Editing by | Claudine Bouché |
| Release date(s) | 1964 |
| Running time | 113 min |
| Country | France, Portugal |
| Language | French, Portuguese, English |
The Soft Skin (French: La Peau douce) is a 1964 French film directed by François Truffaut. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. [1]
Despite Truffaut's star being on the ascent after Jules and Jim and The 400 Blows, La Peau Douce failed at the box office.
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[edit] Synopsis
The story revolves around Desailly's character, Pierre Lachenay, a successful writer and director of a literary magazine. At the beginning of the movie, he flies to Lisbon to give a conference about "Balzac and money".
Despite being married, he becomes involved with a stewardess and what was a one night stand becomes a long-term relationship. Torn between his wife and child and his younger lover, his life rapidly becomes unbearable. Finally, he takes the decision to leave his wife but she takes revenge by shooting him in a Parisian café.
[edit] Analysis
Despite receiving very mixed reviews upon release, La Peau douce is considered by some Truffaut specialists to be one of his strongest efforts[citation needed]. Strangely, the director's own life followed the same path as the uncertain Lachenay's when Truffaut left his wife for Fanny Ardant. For the expectant audience, it was quite afar from the kinetic joie de vivre of Jules et Jim and possibly perceived as overly serious for a director who had tended towards lighter films up to that point.
[edit] Cast
- Jean Desailly - Pierre Lachenay
- Françoise Dorléac - Nicole
- Nelly Benedetti - Franca Lachenay
- Daniel Ceccaldi - Clément
- Laurence Badie - Ingrid
- Sabine Haudepin - Sabine Lachenay
- Philippe Dumat - Movie theater manager in Reims
- Dominique Lacarrière - Lachenay's assistant Dominique
- Paule Emanuele - Odile
- Jean Lanier - Michel
- Maurice Garrel - Bontemps
- Pierre Risch - Chanoine
- François Truffaut - Gas station attendant (voice)
- Carnero - Lisbon organizer (uncredited)
- Georges de Givray - Nicole's father (uncredited)
- Catherine-Isabelle Duport - Young girl (uncredited)
- Maximiliènne Harlaut - Mme. Leloix (uncredited)
- Charles Lavialle - Night watchman at Hôtel Michelet (uncredited)
- Gérard Poirot - Franck (co-pilot) (uncredited)
- Olivia Poli - Mme. Bontemps (uncredited)
- Thérèse Renouard - Cashier (uncredited)
- Jean-Louis Richard - Man in street (uncredited)
- Brigitte Zhendre-Laforest - Linen delivery woman (uncredited)
[edit] References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Soft Skin". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2940/year/1964.html. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
[edit] External links
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