Two cousins by marriage meet at a wedding banquet. Over time, a close friendship develops between them, but their spouses begin to think that they are more than just friends. [imdb]
Nominated for 3 Oscars (as a 1976 film):
Best Actress: Marie-Christine Barrault
Best Original Screenplay
Best Foreign Language Film: France
I dare to say that this is one of the most shocking/unexpected Best Actress nominations EVER. It wouldn't have happened today and that's exactly why the 70s were so great. Who saw it coming? An unknown French actress in a French movie, not a masterpiece but a romantic comedy, directed by an unknown and with a very subtle non-dramatic performance, not even nominated for the Cesar?
With so many legendary French actresses never nominated (Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, etc.), she managed to get it. I had to see it for myself: and to my surprise there is NOTHING flashy, Oscar-baity, big Oscar scene about this performance. It's just a sweet romantic role, not even a comedy one. So I still cannot explain the nomination. Other than that: I enjoyed the film. It's very light, but I smiled and even laughed a couple of times. It's not meant to be a comedy in an obvious way, but it's well directed and there's a lot of subtle humor. So it was an enjoyable view, even though I never looked at it like as a very smart film.
My rating for the film: 7.5/10. Were you ever tempted to see it just because Marie-Christine was up against Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Faye Dunaway (Network) and Liv Ullmann (Face to Face)? PS: yes, I know; it's not easy to find.
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Is it the LEAST baity nominated performance you've seen? Was it deserved? Back when I was really into French I wanted to see this, but as you said it's not easy to find. 7.5 is a pretty good rating though.
ReplyDeleteI've actually haven't asked myself that. But the answer might be Yes. There are no tears, there's no singing, there's no big comedy talent, she's not a well-known actress (not even in France) + all those factors I've mentioned before... She IS kinda charismatic, so it's not a bad performance. And I guess the character is mostly likeable. But even so: nothing too special about it.
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