Tuesday, June 28, 2011

MANON 70 (1968)

[Update 03/09/2021: Need to redo this review completely. Fix the screenshots also.]

Made a year after Bunuel's sexual masterpiece BELLE DE JOUR, Deneuve continues the sexuality theme by playing a free-spirited prostitute who, with the help of her pimp brother, hooks up with extremely rich men and uses them to provide herself with an extravagant lifestyle. Things change when she bumps into average joe Des Grieux and she instantly falls in love with him.

Old habits are hard to break though and she soon finds herself on a yacht with a rich swinger and his entourage, but when she discovers that Des Grieux has been seen with another girl while she's off "working" she immediately leaves to confront him about his infidelity! Things go on like this for awhile until finally, well, you have to watch it for yourself.

With a less beautiful and less talented actress this film would have rightfully slipped into obscurity, but Catherine is completely hypnotizing in every scene and she carries the film with her playful little smiles. As far as the story goes it's alright, I was entertained, but really it comes down to how much like Deneuve as to whether you should watch this film or not. The story alone isn't reason enough.