La Vallée fantôme
1987 Comedy / Drama
Credits
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Summary
An ageing writer Paul is determined to make a film but he cannot decide on the subject
or location. Instead, he chooses to concentrate his efforts on finding the actress
who will star in the film, believing that she will define the lead character and content
of the film. He recruits a young man, Jean, to try to find an Italian actress, Dara,
whom he has lost sight of. Jean finds Dara in a small Italian town, serving in a
modest restaurant, but she refuses to return to acting...
Review
Typical of Tanner’s later works, La Vallée fantôme is a pessimistic,
loosely structured film which is centred around one man’s futile attempts to regain his
lost inspiration. A sombre and melancholic work, it portrays a world that has lost
it way and, like its central character, goes on drifting without any clear purpose or
passion. In some ways, it is Tanner’s bleakest assessment of the way the world is
heading – not towards economic disintegration or social fragmentation (themes of his 1970s
films) but towards a dull, meaningless conformity.
The plot shifts rather awkwardly between four locations (set in France, Switzerland, Italy and New York) and lacks the cohesion and impact of Tanner’s earlier films. However, the film features pleasing performances from the three lead actors – particularly Jean-Louis Trintignant who is perfectly cast as the slightly cynical introverted screenwriter who has a wonderfully naive view of human relationships. The film also differs from much of Tanner’s other films in its abundance of dry comedy, making this one of the director’s lighter and most accessible works. © James Travers 2002 Write a review for this film... User Comments
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