esrosedotblog

A box of Andre Techine films yields an early work

Hôtel des Amériques / Hotel America (1981)

with Catherine Deneuve, her first of many with Techine, and Patrick Dewaere

Lovers who are without a clue. She is a pill popper and he an alcoholic. They hit the rapids and then the rocks. Trying to figure out what is going on, the formula for success with each other.

The film is about these struggles which seem doomed from the start. Class differences emerge, he is a drifter and she, while a doctor, is not capable of functioning outside her work as an anesthesiologist. Get it? She puts people to sleep for a living. Her entire demeanor with us and with him is in the range of no one being home.

We don't see the pills but her doc friend mentions uppers and downers.

On the surface, the film is a bit of a romantic comedy. In the rapids this becomes a storm too far for any humor. It is sad.

There is a faggot in every Techine film and here we have a cute guy who is instrumental in getting another straight loafer, friend of Dewaere, jailed for bashing.

I mean this in a positive way actually. The gay guy stands up for himself and won't take any shit. It works out, incidentally. They don't become boyfriends but the basher is so contrite that he has a little fling with the gay man. More than just desserts. Behind most bashers is a bit of a swish wish.

It is a good movie and indicative of the works to come. I am glad that they included it in this boxed set of already out of print films. Not even Netflix has it.

Deneuve is radiant. She was really hot. Everyone is in this really. And it does them no good at all. In 1981 she was 38! Fresh as a daisy and already a big star of serious films. Here she is far deeper than she looks. Part of her great skill.

He is no slouch as you can see but he has hair all over his shoulders. Why doesn't anyone ever tell these guys about that? Maybe Techine likes it. Too bad.

Labels: films