Masculin Féminin **** (1966, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Chantal Goya, Marlène Jobert) – Classic Movie Review 6063

The 1965 Masculin Féminin is one of the Sixties masterworks of French New Wave icon Jean-Luc Godard, who employs his once-friend François Truffaut’s star Jean-Pierre Léaud as his hero Paul.

Paul is a member of the era’s lost French youth, dazed and confused in his attempts to come to terms with life back home in Paris after his time doing national service in the French army. Chantal Goya also stars as Paul’s girlfriend Madeleine, who is trying to build a career as a pop singer.

Inspired by two stories by Guy de Maupassant, writer-director Godard’s still fresh-seeming film is sour but clever and incisive. Most satisfyingly, it is very keenly played and well crafted, and has a strong flavour of youth and love in Paris in the Swinging Sixties.

Also in the cast are Marlène Jobert, Michel Debord, Catherine-Isabele Duport, Eva-Britt Strandberg and Birger Malmsten.

It is shot in black and white by Willy Kurant, produced by Anatole Daumont and scored by Jean-Jacques Debout.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6063

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com