Purist Hitchcock fans regard Vertigo as his finest film, with its stunning depiction of haunting sexual desire and obsession. This French classic, made 20 years before and never before released on home video, has a very similar theme at its heart. Its a fascinating story, beautifully shot, slightly slow but definitely worth catching.
A Paris playboy, Pierre, seems to have it all fast cars, a modernist apartment and a lady on his arm called Florence (Marie Bell) whos as chic, fashionable and desirable as his trinkets. It all falls apart when his dealings on the stock market collapse, and Florence disappears faster than the cash. Pierre does the only thing he can, he joins the foreign legion.
Despite the grinding work in extreme temperatures, he is content enough, saving up some money to spend on his days off in a local brothel/hotel. There on leave he sees a woman, Irma (also Bell), who is identical to Florence apart from her hair colour she is brunette, as opposed to his platinum blonde former love. He becomes obsessed with wooing her, but suspects she is actually the same woman, suffering from amnesia from a bullet wound in her head. Despite the fact Irma seems a decent person he cannot get the idea of the clearly flaky Florence out of his head. Will it spoil what could be a beautiful thing?
Despite the very different setting the similarities with Vertigo are remarkable. The device of having the same actress play the femme fatale, one blonde, one brunette, is the same, as is the theme of a woman desperate for her man to love her, yet suspecting he is actually in love with her doppelganger, not her. The lead males too have similarities Pierre, played with great skill by Pierre Richard-Willm, is a hugely sympathetic character, yet haunted by an obsession he seemingly cannot shrug off.
The way it plays out is a little cynical, even depressing, yet it still leaves some room for hope. Its a fascinating story, well worth seeing, and would make a great double bill with Vertigo. The digital transfer is crisp and looks wonderful, and the sound is clear, with nicely translated subtitles which are easy to read, as you would expect from the lovely people at Eureka video, who specialise in bringing us the best in world cinema.
Special Features:
New subtitled translation
Booklet with stills
Reviewer: Mike Martin