For a long time was going to see the French film “The Cat” / Le chat, shot in 1971 by Pierre Granier-Defer with Jean Gabin and Simone Signoret in the lead roles, yesterday finally gathered. The film is considered an adaptation of the eponymous non-detective work of Georges Simenon. The story told in the film is the story of the breakdown of relationships between married people. This is an elderly couple who have been married for 25 years, and who eventually ended up in a completely disintegrated relationship, all taking place against the backdrop of the destruction of old houses in the neighborhood where they live. At one point, Julien (Jean Gabin) had a real friend he was very attached to, a cat he picked up somewhere on the street. But Clemence (Simona Signoret) can not accept the fact that at the same time he does not communicate with her, and she seems to love him, however, he does not believe in her love. And after another quarrel, she kills his cat, shooting him with a pistol, which Julien himself gave her, offering to kill him. This Julien can no longer forgive her, he stops talking to her, they begin to farm separately, each cooks for himself and even stores food and drinks in locked cupboards. The end of history is tragic. Now for the story. From the work of Simenon in the film remained, in fact, only one storyline, but the story there was not so unambiguous and very different from the one in the film. Of course, this is not surprising to me, it often happens in so-called film adaptations. Unfortunately, the story was more interesting in the book. The actors in the film play, of course, well, there is nothing to say, especially regret that they were not given the opportunity to play in a much more interesting story.
There are interesting effects in movies. A car with a siren goes and goes, then a woman walks monotonously, limp, along the street, past shops, across the road. And you feel that this is a big point, and it is already interesting, and you are not mistaken.
I haven't read the novel. I think it is inferior to the film, or maybe the film went beyond the novel. I watched the film, freezing, and not sitting comfortably, with a focused face, without stopping. In addition to the direct impression of the film, it was again established in the opinion that realism is unconditionally the best and most powerful of trends, uncluttered by formal effects, unsolved motifs and other decorations. How life itself, presenting you with a severe problem, immediately blows away everything else, leaving no room for all sorts of things that amuse and “make life more interesting.” A cat is such a movie. A perfect example of realism from the golden age of cinema. What is the performance perfection – you will see. And the cat played the Cat at the level of J. Gabin and S. Signoret. In general, I want to say: go and look.
I often blame Georges Simenon for the inexplicability of his situations - there are no characters coming to the beginning of the arcs - we see only the final points of catharsis in the author's selected episode. What is true for this film is the autumn of relationships and the autumn of life. But this situation by the author is precisely drawn from life, so the characters’ characters, their irritability, unresolved problems of the hostel and family, dissatisfaction with dreams and desires are conveyed by the authors and actors that the reasons that led to such a sad situation for the cat are quite understandable to viewers who have spent at least a couple of years in marriage. This is loneliness in the family and an even greater fear of loneliness without a family. This is the desire for affection and the fear of rejection. Very sad and true film. How much merit the authors of the film adaptation - I can not say exactly this work and did not read.
7 out of 10
You and I are a problem that somehow cannot be solved.
Film by Pierre Granier-Defer based on the novel by Georges Simenon “The Cat”.
A sad story about how old age comes and love goes.
There is something to think about and there is something to try on. Who knows, maybe this is the movie that you just need to see at this point in your life.
Young people, a married couple, Julien and Clemence, live in an old neighborhood planned for demolition. She's a former circus aerial gymnast, he's a former printer. In the past, they have great love, and interesting, and full life, and meaning and joy and everything, everything, everything. They don’t talk now, they write notes. There is also a cat in the house.
The cat is not guilty of anything, but he clearly cannot sit away from this drama. It happens that someone screwed up, and someone turned out to be extreme. The cat thinks he's walking on his own, but no, he's not walking he's a tool in the struggle between two loneliness.
They say that when you start a war, prepare two coffins. I'd correct three. For a cat, of course.
When picking up a homeless cat on the street, don’t think you’re so good. It’s a big question of who needs you, the cat or the cat. If you think that the cat will brighten up your loneliness, at the same time solve your problems, you are mistaken. He has his own problems, you have to solve your own problems.
Live. And that doesn’t mean that someone owes you something, because you once did a favor. It is rather you must conform to some universal ideal. The ideal of a person responsible for his actions, a person responsible for his actions and a person who knows how to forgive loved ones. And not just close ones. A person who can look at life with humor, but at the same time be a person extremely serious.
It seems to me that it is never too late, especially to live accordingly.
If we have nothing to think about or share, life is short and we don’t need much. And it is terrible when the understanding of this comes too late, when nothing can be corrected, because it is too late, because those who were dear to us are not in the world.
Stop and think about what is important to you in this life. What you care about and who you care about. And try your behavior, actions, life, finally prove that you need those who are important to you. That's harmony. And the highest meaning, without understanding which your life is not worth a penny.
This is the way the world works, and we cannot change it. Either live by its laws, or ruin the life of yourself and your loved ones.
And also the cat, again figuratively.
Based on the novel by Georges Simenon, Pierre Granier-Defer directed a very serious drama. In this picture we will not see, or rather will not hear heart-wrenching dialogue, but it will not get worse. Moreover, its beauty is precisely that the viewer facial expressions and gestures of the characters felt all the horror that happens within one single family. At the time to give the name of the picture “Man and woman”, but firstly, this place is already occupied, and secondly, “Cat” also sounds good and somewhere intriguing.
Man and woman. They're husband and wife. She used to be an acrobat, and he's just a hard worker. They've been married for so long, so long that they're willing to kill each other. This is what's called silent hatred. What caused love to break into small pieces? Even before Julien (Jean Gabin) brought a stray cat into the house, their relationship had cracked. Why? You can't answer a single word. Probably many reasons, but one of the main is that Clemence, after falling off the rope in the circus, decided to put an end to herself. She just didn't fight. There was a scene, there was an engagement, an audience, and now a bottle she touches with enviable constancy. It's not working. Could her husband like it? I don't think. Why not get divorced and give each other a soul? Julien is asked this question by the owner of a nearby hotel. To which he responds incomprehensibly.
Will the appearance of the cat change the relationship between Julien and Clemence? This question is answered by the director of the film. He answers skillfully, in Simenonovski. What is only the demolition of dilapidated housing, next to the house of our heroes? The blow of a jackhammer and a house wreck can be compared to the life of Julien and Clemence. It's also crumbling brick by brick. Whether there is hope for salvation, you can only know by watching this powerful in every sense of the drama. The picture made a strong impression on me. Gaben and Signoret are great artists, which they confirmed with this film. The movie is definitely worth watching!
In modern films, which one way or another touches on the topic of old age, old age is rare. They run away from her, she is covered with plastic surgery and strangled with aphrodesiacs, and more often just advertise the medical prolongation of youth, in neglected cases - euthanasia. In modern cinema there is almost no experience of adopting old age.
This is a taboo topic in a youthful year by year and a world striving for eternal life. Old age comes without asking if you are ready or not. It comes, changing everything around you: your relationships, your interests, yourself. And few people can say that.
Old age is the most important challenge in human life, the decisive one. The challenge is not to run away from her as long as possible - in the end you will still be funny. It is to be able to accept your new self and its possibilities without destroying the already unchanging external forms of your life. We're becoming different. Our lives are the same, our husbands and wives, our homes and our jobs. Visible stability with profound personal change creates the main conflict of old age. He who can transform contradiction into energy is the winner.
10 out of 10