CESAR AND ROSALIE

France, 1972, 105 minutes, Colour.
Yves Montand, Romy Schneider, Sami Frey, Umberto Orsini, Eva Maria Meincke.
Directed by Claude Sautet.

There is a French tradition in recent years of light, lush-coloured romances with emotional clashes and a lot of time spent in cars; A Man and A Woman may have started it. Claude Sautet, who also made one of these films in 1969, The Things of Life, now offers this one. The film shows, one thinks, a true enough picture of confusion and suffering in emotional growing-up and that romance is ultimately rather unromantic. The strength of this film lives in Yves Montand's most genial performance as the likeable, but still adolescent, Cesar. He makes the emotional entanglements seem real. Romy Schneider is an attractive Rosalie.

1. How attractive a romantic story was this? Why so attractive? Why enjoyable? How real were the people and their situations? How humane a film? How sophisticated? Did it need a sophistication in the audience? Why? The emotional response to films like this? The use of colour, locations, cars, music, fashions?

2. Could this be described as a woman's story? Was it made for women or men predominantly? Or both? How much depth was there in the story? How much an attractive and interesting presentation of services? Which sequences would illustrate this best?

3. Who was the central character of the film? How would the answer to this question alter the perspective of the film? The way that men and women would identify with the characters differently? The differing response to the crises? Is this important?

4. How attractive was Rosalie? Romy Schneider's style and performance, how likeable, how real? Her searching for love and fulfilment? The background of her love for David, the impact of his return. her visit to his studio, her enjoyment of his presence? The contrast with Antoine and her marriage to him? The intensity of her love for her daughter? Her relationship with Cesar? Did she love him? What attracted Rosalie to Cesar, his vitality, care? The significance of her mother's wedding and the reception,. her pride in Cesar's presentation of himself? Her patience during their card game etc.? Why did her attitudes change, her disgust with Cesar and his wrecking the studio? why did she pine at the seaside? The impact of the return of David? Why did she finally walk out on them? Was it too much for her? Why then ultimately return?

5. How attractive was Yves Montand's performance as Cesar? His vitality and the details of this as presented on a screen? The self-made businessman? His push and personality, genial humour moodiness his gauche way of doing things? His pride in his masculinity? His attachment to Rosalie - was it love? His surprise when she went back to David? His exasperation in wrecking the studio? Should he have tried to force her to love him? Why did she take David back? The quality of the bond that grew between them? The sequences after Rosalie's departure? His surprise at Rosalie’s return? Why had he gone off in his business after her departure?

6. Was David as well portrayed as Cesar and Rosalie? Did he seem reel? An artist? The power of his hold over Rosalie, the reason for his departure, his love for her? Did the film sufficiently show him at work with his art, as a contrast to Cesar? His admiration for Cesar at the wedding reception? Why did he agree to go to the beach to help Rosalie? The effect of her leaving on him? What was it in him that appealed to Cesar? Why did they become such friends? His reaction to Rosalie’s return?

7. How important were the other characters in the film - Antoine and his discussion with David about his marriage, David's friends and their work in the cartoons, Rosalie’s mother and her attitude towards marriage and remarriage. her fuss, place in society etc.? The rest of the family and their links with one another, at the beach, the discussion about deaths in the family and their effect? How valid a picture of middle class society in France was this?

8. Comment on the director's use of detail to communicate the verve of life, the reality of his situations. and to help audiences identify?

9. How well-probed were the problems of modern living? Sophisticated living, relationships and pain, love? A world which is respectable and conventional? With middle class values?

10. Was the linking narrative device helpful for the film or did it change the tone? Was it meant to?

11. How successful and entertaining a film was this? Its quality as a romantic entertainment?