The French New
Wave produced the likes of François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude
Chabrol and Éric Rohmer and in early 1960 a new “filmmaker” member to the
movement made his feature film directing debut … Jacques Doniol-Valcroze.
His role, however, with the New Wave film movement in France was from its very beginning in the
post-war period … and as a co-founder of the New Wave film magazine Cahiers
du Cinéma, Doniol-Valcroze credentials are impeccable. It just took a tad longer for him to sit in
the director’s chair.
Word arrived this past week that Cinetrove
International has a new restoration of Doniol-Valcroze’s debut feature film, L’eau a
la Bouche (aka: A Game
for Six Lovers) ready for domestic consumption
on June 18 as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.
The film, starring Bernadette Lafont (three-time César
Awards nominee — Prête-Moi Ta main, Masques, L'Effrontée)
Françoise Brion and Alexandra Stewart, was released theatrically in France in
January of 1960, but when it arrived in the United States two years later, the
French language track had been stripped out and the film was dubbed — can you
imagine Truffaut’s 400 Blows or
Godard’s Breathless as
only English-dubbed viewing options!!
Fortunately, Cinetrove International has the original French-language
version for cinephiles to enjoy.
Miléna (Brion) lives in her wealthy grandmother’s château
and suddenly finds her comfy world coming unraveled when the old lady
dies. The attorney for the estate
insists that Miléna’s estranged cousins be at the reading of the will and soon
enough Fifine (Stewart) arrives … and just as quickly starts hitting on the
attorney.
Fifine’s brother, Jean-Paul (who is really her
lover) also shows up and is quickly smitten with his “cousin,” Miléna. This complicated series of affairs of the
heart expands to include the long-time butler who is trying to score with the
new maid!
So how does it all work out? Cousins with “cousins” and the legal affairs
of the estate in obvious conflict … June 18 on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack to find
out how it all comes out.
L’eau a la Bouche is
presented in French with English subtitles.
Bonus features include an extensive photo gallery and the featurette titled
“The French 60s and theme to L’eau a la Bouche by Serge Gainsbourg.”
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