Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Food for the thoughtful, 17 Nov 2005
This film could only have been made by the French, and then only in the 1970's. It would be easy to dismiss it at first glance as a chauvinist celebration of political incorrectness; indeed, when the Americans tried to remake it in 1983 by casting Burt Reynolds in the Charles Denner role, that is exactly what it became.However, here the story is in the hands of a master. Truffaut's deft directorial touch poses myriad questions about the nature of the relationship between men and women; about love, commitment; physical attraction and sexual politics. The film begins with the funeral of Betrand Morane (Denner), attended only by women and then tells the story of his relationships with most of them. Interestingly, he really does love the women - he can't seem to help loving them. He is not a philanderer, nor is he interested in conquest or sexual gratification: the film is, in fact, strangely asexual. He decides to write about his experiences, the book is dismissed by the male reviewers but his manuscript is accepted by the sole female with whom Morane inevitably falls in love. As the story moves forward and, in doing so, flashes back, one grows to like Morane more and more; he is a sweet, bewildered character who is also a man loved by women. This film will not be for all: if you are the Hollywood blockbuster type; if you hate subtitles; if you like your films with nice, neat endings then this is not for you. However, for lovers of the European school of whimsy, this is a must; not Truffaut's best - but even his second best is better than most.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Romantic Memoir, 31 May 2008
Truffaut's The Man Who Loved Women could be viewed as an oblique homage to Casanova's often misinterpreted memoirs. Bertrand (Denner) is obsessed with women but not in the sense of a misogynistic chronicler of conquests. This man, like Casanova, is at the mercy of love or rather the concept of love - someone who is irresistibly drawn to the beauty of the female form (posture, fashion, speech, mannerisms etc) and the unending attraction of the company of women (he does not socialise with men). Betrand's primary motivation is the continuous seduction of women from any class, nationality or occupation. He does not revel in the transgression of society's moral absolutes and cannot conform to the contract-based monogamy of conventional gender relationships. Consequently the film centres on Bertrand's women, his relationship with his mother and his desire to document his `life history' in the form of a philosophical novel. Within this narrative framework the film exudes humour, warmth and exceptional wit. I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions: Delphine, the young Bertrand, the lingerie shop, the baby sitter etc etc. Interestingly Truffaut appears at the beginning of the film and is seen donning his cap as Bertrand glides by!!!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
L'Homme Qui Aiment Les Jambes, 14 May 2009
When this came out in the late 70s, a lot of people marked this off as some kind of chic movie about women and his conquests, but they couldn't be further from the truth, this film explores love, relationships, and his love for the shapely leg, and how his love affairs went. I like the way he went into detail about his initial meetings and how the relationship progressed, and all in the guise of us reading his manuscript, and the script itself is very well written, and makes you feel like he's not just some self-gratifying love addict, but he's actually a thoughtful, conscience lover, who just loves women. He doesn't even boast about conquests, he pretty much gentlemanly about it all.
Charles Denner is perfect for this movie, and he has the right amount of charm without coming out all bizarre, his understanding of Bertrand Morane is spot on. I also liked Nelly Borgeaud as Delphine Grezel, her delinquent side made the film a bit more varied - and more profound. I also enjoyed Nathalie Baye's performance as Martine, as she was great, and the main reason why I rented it. François Truffaut showing that he can do slow films, with a lot of profoundness and show that a film with dialogue can have as much action as a lot of camera angles, locations and movement.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys French cinema, and has patience, otherwise you're going to hate this, it's slow, and can be rather boring at times if you don't enjoy long periods of dialogue. It does make for a great movie and is worth adding to your Truffaut collection. I like the way he doesn't insist on making every movie about Paris, but looks to other towns in France to make his films, even though we don't get to see much of Montpelier, you do get the feeling of the town, and the elegant women living there.
Have a go, worth a look.
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