Le Zèbre (1992)
Directed by Jean Poiret

Film Review

Le Zèbre is the one and only directorial offering from the popular actor-writer Jean Poiret. In addition to a long and successful career as an actor, Poiret is also famous for scripting the original stage version of La Cage aux folles, which was adapted for cinema twice, a French version by Édouard Molinaro and an American version The Bird Cage starring Robin Williams. Le Zèbre wasn't only Poiret's directorial debut, it was also his swansong for the cinema - he died from a heart attack three months before the film's release in 1992. Whilst the plot (about a man obsessed with the idea of ensuring that his marriage will last forever) has some mileage, Poiret seems incapable of fully mining its comic potential and so the film ends up as a somewhat awkward mix of off-kilter comedy and bittersweet melodrama, occasionally funny, sporadically true-to-life, but never really involving. This is despite some spirited performances from the film's two lead actors, Thierry Lhermitte and Caroline Cellier (Poiret's wife at the time). The film's main failing, however, is the lack of a tidy ending - Poiret leaves the narrative open, either because inspiration has failed him or perhaps because he may have had a sequel in mind.

Film Synopsis

Hippolyte and Camille have been married for 15 years and although they still love each other Hippolyte is anxious that the passion in their relationship is waning.  Camille also feels that she is in a rut and becomes excited when she begins to receive amorous letters from a secret admirer.  She is not pleased when she discovers that this turns out to be a ruse by her husband to try to rekindle their former passion.  When the scheme backfires, Hippolyte resorts to ever more dramatic gestures to ensure that his love life with Camille will never fade...