Toute Une Vie (1975)

Internationally renowned director Claude Lelouch intimately explores destiny and true love in this romantic delight. Admired by movie lovers around the world, this fascinating film encompasses a variety of filmmaking styles and illustrates the 20th century through the intertwined lives and destinies of three generations. Marthe Keller (Marathon Man) is magnificent in multiple roles, and André Dussollier (Amélie) shines as her soul mate. A film that can be enjoyed again and again, Toute une Vie is fated to be one of your favorites. Academy Award® Nomination: Best Original Screenplay, 1975.

movie premise is 5 stars but the restored version's end is not!

this has been my favorite movie of all time for over 30 years since it came out in theatres. for years, some of the artsy movie houses still showed it in the early 80's (remember the nuart in west l.a?) my husband recently bought the restored version for me as a surprise. we finally saw it the other night for the first time. disappointed doesn't express the emotion i had when i saw the alternate ending they put on this version. bleak, dark and morbid science fiction...why put this spin in a movie that is all about romance and destiny? i just don't get it...WHERE CAN I FIND AN ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS MOVIE? by the way, if you love the premise of the movie like i do, check out the movie sliding doors with gwyneth paltrow. July 17, 2008

DON'T BUY THIS 'RESTORED' VERSION!!!

This has been one of my favorite movies for 25 years, or since I saw it in the late 70's in Los Angeles. I had an old copy on VHS with lousy sound, so I was excited to get this DVD release. Towards the end I was all choked up and ready for the final scene when -- YUCKITY YUK YUK YUK! Somebody slipped a new ending in! It went on and on and on (10, 15 minutes?) and totally destroyed the effect of the movie -- completely ruined the superb ending to one of my all time favorite romances. And I was showing the movie to my wife at the time--who was so touched because she didn't even think I liked romances. Even she was perplexed by this lengthy alteration. I feel robbed of a rich memory, cheated out of one of the most wonderful endings in all film history. It's as if somebody had redone the famous ending of Casa Blanca, and just when Humprey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were halfway through their tear-jerker parting lines, somebody inserted 10 minutes of 'lost footage' about Rick's cafe under new ownership after the fascists have gone, or some such nonsense. I think you see my point. One reviewer expressed surprise that Claude Lelouch had 'chosen to restore' the ending. I would rather believe that somebody else did the editing, and not Lelouch. That way I wouldn't have to write anything nasty about a world-famous movie director. Which I won't, anyway, because I asked my wife to preview what I had written, and she suggested I delete the nasty comments -- which I did, so they're not here.

Let me conclude by saying that I haven't been so unhappy with a DVD edition since I settled down to watch a music video -- Black Sabbath's The Last Supper. After 15, 20 or so many odd years, Ozzie Osbourne got back with the survivors of the old Black Sabbath band to do a farewell, live performance of their old songs from the early 70s. I had looked forward to something like this for years. There I was, settling into the band's all-time classic song, Iron Man. I was just getting into the opening rifts when -- horrors! -- somebody decided to insert a bunch of Ozzie's home movies (or something like that)--and the song is still playing in the background, of course; but we also hear and see Ozzie and his cronies yakking away. Talk about destroying art! It's like someone painting a moustache on the Mon Lisa! (Okay, lousy comparison: Ozzie vs. Da Vinci, but you get the drift.) I would prefer to believe that somebody other than Ozzie Osbourne did the final editing of the Iron Man song. I wrote a nasty review of the Black Sabbath DVD and wanted to have a few choice words with the Sony editors or whoever was responsible for the final shelf version of the Last Supper. Shame, shame, on you! January 5, 2008

My all time favourite

I first saw this film in London in the '70s and loved it then. The DVD release has preserved it, although I would agree about the ending. The additional scenes were unnecessary. As they said in Mozart ... "too many notes".
January 26, 2007

And Now the 20th Century.

Marthe Keller stars in "And Now My Love," a sweeping examination of French life during the 20ths century. The film opens in black & white, tracing the beginnings of film and cinema. A multitude of stories are told in brief snippets before the focus settles on one family - a French Jewish mogul and his daughter (Marthe Keller). A parallel story is interspersed into the action as well, telling the story of a young criminal, Simon (André Dussollier), who later discovers photography and filmmaking. The story builds toward a rather predictable climax, but with some unexpected stops along the way, including a bizarre trip to 1990.

Director Claude Lelouch, who is still making movies today, is considered one of the geniuses of French cinema, and this film is certainly impressive. I particularly appreciate his music selections - along the way, the music tells perhaps a stronger story than does the actual plot. Ultimately, "And Now My Love" is truly a filmmakers' movie; it reminded me of "8 ½" and "Day for Night" in that respect.

French films of this period often focused on politics, workers' unionizing, and class - "And Now My Love" is a model of that theme. As a result of the material's focus, I didn't particularly enjoy the film; however, I respected its vision and execution. Everything about it is top-notch; the directing, acting, and cinematography particularly deserve praise. In addition, the screenplay, which was written by Lelouch and his long-time collaborator Pierre Uytterhoeven, was nominated for an Oscar. I just didn't enjoy the plot and themes explored. Viewers with a special affinity for European politics of this era will likely enjoy this movie more than did I. If you really loved movies like "Z" or "Weekend," then you'll probably adore "And Now My Love."
July 16, 2005

A Man and A Woman

Claude Lelouch's "And Now My Love" is the story of two people. One who has nothing but wants everything and one who has everything but wants nothing.

Simon, has been in prison twice, one for theft and once for making pornographic films, he then decides to go straight and make conventional films, to great success. Sarah, was born in luxury. After her father's death she has so much money she doesn't know what to do with it. Money or men do not bring her happiness, only problems. In movie terms these people were made for each other.

"And Now My Love" could also be described as the story of the 20th century. It starts off in the early 1900s and we meet Sarah's grandmother and mother. Than the Simon character is introduced. It goes through much of the events of world history including WW1 & WW2, Kennedy's assassination, Vietnam, Marliyn Monroe's death and the Nixon administration.

I could see why some would not like this movie. They may feel "And Now My Love" is too political. Lelouch is injecting his beliefs on us too strongly, too forecefully. This also happened to Jean-Luc Godard's "Tout va Bien". But I disagree up to the point where I'd call both films masterpieces. One of the reasons I like both films so much is because they have ideas and stick to them. They are about something. And that's what the best films do. They have an opinion - there's nothing wrong with that. Whether I agree with people like Lelouch or Godard I find immaterial. You don't have to agree with a film or book 100% to respect what it has to say. Just because some may disagree with the philosophy of Descartes or Hume doesn't mean they are ignorant. Or is Freud stupid because you find Carl Rogers more stimulating? I don't think so. It takes a lot more than that. Say, oh, I don't know, lying about Iraq? (Just kidding)

One of the film's flaws is it goes on too long. The movie is 2 hours and 30 minutes. It could have been 2 hours and still be just as pleasing, charming, intelligent, enetertaining, and emotionally involving.

Claude Lelouch, for those who are unfamiliar was quite the craftsman. Not to imply he's not now. Have you seen "And Now Ladies & Gentlemen"? It's just that he no longer draws much of an audience or conversation. He has though made some great works including "A Man & A Woman", "Les Miserables" and this film.

Bottom-line: One of the most pleasing films I've seen by Claude Lelouch. A movie with lots of ideas and a definitive viewpoint. Should please those with an open mind. March 21, 2005

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