Search - La Chamade (Heartbeat) on DVD

Heavy on the Gloss

alain robert | 02/10/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Yet another of Francois Sagan's chic, sleek, and shallow sudsers. Sagan has always examined the sins, immoralities, and weaknesses of privalged parisians, and 'La Chamade' is no exception. Basically, it's style striving for substance. Does it acheive it? No. Is that okay? Yes. 'La Chamade' is an agreeable distraction as it features a Love vs. Money storyline played out against swinging 60's Paris (with a side trip to the Mediteranian!). Catherine Deneuve looks stunning (as always) in a series of late 60s haute couture, the characters thrash about in gorgeous settings, and drive great cars. It's everything one would have watched 'Dynasty' for, however, as the film is in french the subtitles allow you to feel slightly superior and not so guilty for enjoying it!"

A visual discussion of man's incomprehension of woman

J. Kara Russell | Hollywood - the cinderblock Industrial cubicle | 11/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Catherine Deneuve is one of film's all time great beauties who has also become a very fine actress. At this point in her career, she was still blank but beautiful. Her Director put this to good use, casting her as a woman who is pampered, spoiled, a woman for whom life has given her so much she is completely lost and has no idea what she really wants, but drifts from vague whim to whim.
Of course, she is such a beauty that she is perfect casting for this kind of woman who has men falling over themselves just to light her cigarette, and the kind of jealousy and possessive controlling impulses beauty brings out in men.
Lightly handled, this film is a visual discussion of the true nature of love, and the tradeoffs we make in finding the right relationship. Money and stability, passion and poverty are contrasted, with some surprising revelations about what makes a love meaningful and lasting. Yves St. Laurent supplies the really amazing wardrobe for the sequences of wealth ( I counted at least 5 really flawlessly coutured coats), which seems at first to make this film very glossy and superficial and "what will she wear next" - but this supplies our framework of seeing how unimportant these things are to her, and also builds a great contrast for the sections of everyday financial struggles.
This film is greater than the sum of it's parts. Great costumes, some postcard style cinematography, and a fine performance by Roger Van Hool as the obsessed Antoine, and an exceptional, nuanced performance by Michel Piccoli as Charles. (He and Deneuve had made several films together by this point, which augments the familiar feeling between them.)
Because DeNeuve is still young here, and the essential capricious coldness of her character, this film does not supply as much emotional connection or depth as it could. We have only Piccoli as a window for that, so this film becomes a man's view of the beautiful woman they adore, and a fine representation of their incomprehension of women. Historically, falling in step with "free love" and early feminism, it is a great representation of that special time when men really could not figure out what women wanted... because women were still trying to figure it out themselves.
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PHOTOROMAN

alain robert | ST-HUBERT,QUÉBEC | 04/21/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Remember those illustrated novellas that our mothers used to enjoy reading.You had the spoiled girl who had an affair with an older man.Usually,she meets a younger man who is less fortunate.The woman to make ends meet gets a job in a library,but it doesn't take long for her to be bored and she returns to the older man who brings her security.This is basically the story of LA CHAMADE.CATHERINE DENEUVE was 25 at the time and she was indeed gorgeous,but that is not enough to save a film that is so predictable.My favorite scene is the one at the airport when LUCILLE is waiting for CHARLES and gets annoyed by another man.She says to him :fichez-moi la paix!If you buy this for the bonus features,don't bother,they did not include a photo gallery of DENEUVE."

For Catherine Deneuve Devotees

R. Crane | Washington, DC United States | 08/03/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Catherine Deneuve is one of the world's most beautiful, elegant women and a talented actress. In this movie, she is the mistress of a wealthy man and has been devoted to him for years. She meets a handsome struggling young publisher and leaves her wealthy protector for him. The movie then tracks what happens to her and whether she has now found true happiness.

It is a light story and probbly would not be worth watching without Catherine's presence. She dazzles on the screen and this was made at the height of her career. If you are a fan of the sixties, you will enjoy the magnificent clothes and hairstyles of the era.


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