claudio_carvalho

In Paris, the owner of an advertisement agency, Charles Masson (Michel Bouquet), accidentally strangles his mistress Laura Tellier (Anna Douking) during sexual sadomasochism. Laura is the wife of Charles's best friend for twenty-five years, the architect François Tellier (François Périer), who designed his house and is his neighbor in the condo where they live. Charles is also a family man, and adores his wife Hélène Masson (Stéphane Audran), his two children and his mother. Charles has difficulties to sleep, completely disturbed with what has happened, and decides to reveal what he did to Hélène. She accepts his confession, but he decides to tell François that he strangled his wife. However, François accepts and asks his friend to forget the murder. The police have no clue of who committed the murder, but Charles tells Hélène that he will tell the police and surrender, and asks his wife to agree. Hélène takes the best decision to protect her family.

"Juste avant la nuit", a.k.a. "Just Before Nightfall" (1971), is a drama by Claude Chabrol about a man that accidentally kills his mistress and feels the morbid desire of being arrested or die. He has guilty conscience throughout the whole movie and tries to find redemption by confessing his crime to his wife and to his friend, but nothing can give him absolution and he does not achieve peace of mind. The amoral final solution found by Hélène is a great surprise to the viewers. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Ao Anoitecer" ("In the Nightfall")

Ten years ago, the bass player Simon is in love with The Lake Pub waitress Adele. He proposes to marry her but, on the eve, he learns that she is pregnant. On the next morning, he dies and leaves Adele waiting for him at the altar. In the present days, Adele talks to the priest about Simon's contact, and he says that Simon is a ghost, and she should talk to him to help to resolve her life. Elena does not accept Camille and tells tough things to her. Camille flees home to see her former old flame in the pub. Julie goes to the precinct to see the report of missing children. She notes that nobody is looking for Victor and she decides to keep the boy that remains silent. The police investigate the attack of the waitress Lucy, who was stabbed and bitten several times. The crime is copycat of murders that happened seven years ago, and they arrest Simon believing he may the killer.

"Simon" is another great episode of "Les Revenants", based on Simon's story. The guy is completely lost in his town ten years after his death. Camille is having problems adapting to her new life with her family. Who might be the boy Victor? The intriguing character is probably someone from the past of Julie. The serial-killer seems to be amnesic and with difficulties to recall his previous life, only his instincts. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Simon"

In 1928, In Southeast Kansas, the teenage sweethearts Wilma Dean "Deanie" Loomis (Natalie Wood) and Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty) are deeply in love for each other. However, Deanie dodges from Bud's sexual advances since her mother advises her to keep her virginity and reputation unharmed. Bud's father, the oil tycoon Ace Stamper (Pat Hingle), also advises Bud to give time to Deanie since he plans that his son goes to Yale. Further, he tells him to date easy girls, instead of Deanie. Meanwhile. Bud's sister Ginny Stamper (Barbara Loden) returns from Chicago with bad fame and rumors of an abortion from a married man. When Ginny is gangraped at a New Year's party, the disturbed Bud breaks up with Deanie. Then Bud's pal Allen "Toots" Tuttle (Gary Lockwood) invites Deanie to go to a party and she accepts to date him. She sees Bud and tries to convince him to have sex with her, but he refuses. She leaves the party with Toots, and he parks his car near a waterfall to have sex with Deanie. However, she flees and tries to commit suicide, jumping into a small lake to reach a waterfall, but she is rescued. Her parents sell their oil stock to pay an expensive mental institution for Deanie in Wichita. Soon there is the Crash of 1929 followed by the Great Depression. Deanie stays for two and half years institutionalized, where she befriends Johnny Masterson, who is a medical student, while Bud fails in Yale and befriends the waitress Angelina (Zohra Lampert) while his father loses his fortune. Will Deanie and Bud meet each other again?

"Splendor in the Grass" (1961) is a sad love story, with love, desire, heartbreak and Great Depression. The teenagers Deanie and Bud live in a period of sexual oppression, and despite they are horny for each other, Deanie's reputation prevails, and they abstain from sex. Meanwhile, there is the Great Depression, affecting the family of Ace Stampler and leading him to a tragedy. It is unnecessary to make any comment on the work of the master Elia Kazan. The performances are wonderful, and Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty, who is introduced in this film, are convincing, performing as a believable couple submitted to the social and moral standards of the late 20's. But Pat Hingle steals the show in the role of a powerful and wealthy family man. The plot is romantic and sad, but never corny or melodramatic. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Clamor do Sexo" (Clamor of the Sex")