Benjamin [Benjamin ou Les mémoires d’un puceau] [The Diary of an Innocent Boy] *** (1968, Michèle Morgan, Michel Piccoli, Pierre Clémenti, Catherine Deneuve) – Classic Movie Review 9128

Back in the far-off days when Pierre Clémenti was a bright young French star to watch, he played an 18th-century orphan youth whose wealthy aunt, the beautiful Countess Gabrielle de Valandry (Michèle Morgan), teaches him a few things about life and love to many promising women, but especially his first love, the radiant young Anne de Clécy (Catherine Deneuve). The indispensable Michel Piccoli plays the countess’s lover, Le Comte Philippe de Saint-Germain.

Benjamin [Benjamin ou Les mémoires d’un puceau] [The Diary of an Innocent Boy] (1968) is a downmarket version of Dangerous Liaisons but the libertine novitiate going for loss of virginity is here male. It is lightweight, looks pretty (thanks to Ghislain Cloquet’s Eastmancolor photography and Rita Bayance’s costumes), is played lustily by the good cast, and is pleasantly ooh-la-la. It is set to classical music by Mozart, Haydn. Rameau etc).

It runs 108 minutes but the cut versions runs 100 minutes or 90 minutes.

It was a 1969 Golden Globe nominee as Best English-Language Foreign Film. Director Michel Deville was the winner of the Prix Louis Delluc in 1967.

Also in the cast are Francine Bergé, Anna Gaël, Catherine Rouvel, Odile Versois, Jacques Dufilho, Tania Torrens, Simone Bach, Angelo Bardi and Sacha Briquet.

French title: Benjamin ou Les mémoires d’un puceau.

UK title: Benjamin, or the Diary of an Innocent Young Man.

US title: The Diary of an Innocent Boy.

Worldwide title: Benjamin, the Diary of a Virgin Boy.

Benjamin is directed by Michel Deville, runs 108 minutes, is made by Marianne Productions and Parc Film, is released by Paramount, is written by Nina Companeez (original scenario and adaptation) and Michel Deville (original scenario), is shot in Eastmancolor by Ghislain Cloquet, produced by Mag Bodard, and designed by Claude Pigot.

Pierre Clémenti (1942 -1999).

Pierre Clémenti was born on 28 September 1942 in Paris and died on 27 December 1999 of liver cancer, aged 57. He is also known for The Leopard (1963), Belle de Jour (1967) [also with Piccoli and Deneuve] and Pigsty [Porcile] (1969).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9128

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