Le Sauvage (1975)
Directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Film Review

Today, director Jean-Paul Rappeneau is probably best known for his lavish period pieces of the 1990s, Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) and Le Hussard sur le toit (1995), but these are very different from the films that first brought him success in France, a series of popular comedies featuring some of the most iconic actors of the period.  Le Sauvage is arguably the most celebrated of Rappeneau's comedies, a boisterous attempt at an American-style rom-com which offers the dream pairing of Yves Montand and Catherine Deneuve, two of the biggest names in French cinema at the time.  Whilst both Montand and Deneuve are often thought of as serious actors, and rightly so, both also have a natural flair for comedy (and an absolutely wicked sense of humour), which this film amply demonstrates.  The two actors spark off one another so brilliantly that is seems scarcely credible that they were never again partnered in a comedy, although they did play alongside one another in Alain Corneau's superb thriller Le Choix des armes (1981).  Deneuve is at her comedic best as the reckless, highly accident prone emmerdeuse, whilst Montand has great fun as the Robinson Crusoe-type coping with this whirlwind in human form.

Le Sauvage is easily the most enjoyable of Rappeneau's comedies (thanks mainly to the contributions from its two lead actors, ably supported by Luigi Vannucchi and Tony Roberts) but it suffers from a below par script that struggles to keep the comedy juggernaut on the road and fails to lend much depth to any of the characters.  To a large extent, Rappeneau's pacy direction and some stunning location photography from Pierre Lhomme make up for the failings in the writing, but in places the comedy feels unbearably strained and much of the violence that is dished out against Catherine Deneuve's character seems gratuitous and far less likely to provoke laughter these days than when the film was first seen.  Likewise, the Hollywood-style happy ending is just too contrived and hackneyed to be taken seriously, a lazy sop to the sentimentalists.  Le Sauvage has dated far less well than other big budget French comedies of the time but it is still an engaging romp.  On its first release, the film was a box office hit, attracting an audience of 2.3 million in France, although this success may have had something to do with Deneuve's willingness to appear topless in a crucial scene.

Film Synopsis

In Caracas, Nelly, a nightclub artiste, is about to wed the wealthy Vittorio when she has a sudden change of heart and decides to return to France.  Her employer Alex is unable to pay her the money he owes her, so she runs off with his valuable Lautrec painting, hoping to trade this for the cash she needs for her air fare.  Pursued by Vittorio and Alex, Nelly turns to a stranger, Martin, to help her leave the country.  Reluctantly, Martin does what he can to help the erratic young woman and believes he has seen the last of her when she climbs aboard a plane bound for Paris.  Imagine then his surprise when, as soon as he lands on his personal island, he encounters Nelly for a second time.  It is revealed that Martin is a hugely successful perfume maker who has turned his back on big business so that he can lead a simpler life, growing vegetables on a solitary island.  When Martin threatens to take Nelly back to the mainland, the young woman reacts by sinking his boat, making them both prisoners on the island.  At first, the two people are antagonistic towards one another but they soon develop a mutual fondness.  Yet Martin is still determined to return Nelly to the mainland and sets about building a raft...