Monday 16 June 2014

The Man Who Loved Women (L'Homme qui aimait les femmes)
Dir: François Truffaut
1977
****
There is something a quite dated about Truffaut's The Man Who Loved Women. It is a little creepy at times although it is  romantic at the same time and this does win through. It does touch on the fact that the main character Bertrand Morane has got a problem and his obsession isn't quite right but it's not always explained in a way that brings any sympathy, although it's never really needed as he is always very likable. You might think this is a dilemma for the viewer but funnily enough it isn't. The background story of his relationship with his mother are some of the more interesting parts of the film but the pop-psychology also dates it, even for 1977. The Burt Reynolds remake makes for an interesting comparison. It's worth mentioning Patrick O'Brien's obvious spoof - The Man with the Smallest Penis in Existence and the Electron Microscope Technician Who Loved Him, which the cynics should enjoy.

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