Sacrée jeunesse (1958)
Directed by André Berthomieu

Film Review

In the twilight of his career, director André Berthomieu still managed to attract an audience (although little in the way of favourable criticism) with his good natured, if somewhat formulaic, comedies.  Sacrée jeunesse is one of his better late comedies, although its appeal owes far more to the spirited central performance from André Luguet (France's answer to Ronald Colman) than it does to Berthomieu's journeyman direction.  Here, Luguet is in his element, initially hilarious as a decrepit septuagenarian, and then smooth as silk in his habitual role as the incorrigible womaniser.  A humorous satire on society's attitudes towards ageing, André Mouézy-Eon's stage play Koraneuf (on which the film is based) might well have been written for this amiable actor.

Proving, like Luguet, that she is far from over the hill, Gaby Morlay turns in a similarly sprightly performance, and looks even livelier than she did in all those melodramas she starred in during the 1940s.  Why Luguet should prefer the transparent charms of Micheline Dax to Morlay is anyone's guess but once his co-star is rejuvenated and looks set to walk off with a big chunk of his fortune Luguet soon realises his mistake.  There's some admirable support from Guy Bertil and Noël Roquevert, and amidst the crowd of youngsters who for some reason keep gatecrashing the proceedings there is one fresh-faced comic actor who is clearly headed for stardom - Guy Bedos.  Sacrée jeunesse is hardly the most inspired French comedy, but with such a distinguished and likeable cast to keep it ticking over it is far from being an outright disaster.  If only director Berthomieu had spent a few weeks in Koraneuf's rejuvenation clinic beforehand...

Film Synopsis

Thomas Longué is 79 and not long for this world, or so his greedy nephew Étienne seems to think.  Convinced that the decrepit old man is likely to kick the bucket any day soon, Étienne offers to buy one of his uncle's estates at a favourable price in return for a life's annuity.  Monsieur Longué likes the idea, but instead sell his estate to his faithful insurance agent, Horville, for a more advantageous annuity.  He then heads off to Switzerland, to enrol in Dr Koraneuf's rejuvenation clinic.  When he arrives back home, Monsieur Longué is, literally, a changed man - to the horror of both his nephew and his insurance agent.  Looking like a lively man of fifty, he engages a young secretary, who soon becomes his mistress.  Within no time Longué is planning to divorce his wife...