LIVE FOR LIFE (VIVRE POUR VIVRE)

France/Italy, 1967, 130 minutes, Colour.
Yves Montand, Candice Bergen, Annie Girardot.
Directed by Claude Lelouch.

Live for Life is a film by Claude Lelouch. It was made soon after A Man and a Woman for which Lelouch received world-wide acclaim and awards. He seems to be trying to capitalise on the glossy romantic atmosphere of A man and a Woman and develop the theme into a triangle. Live for Life is much longer and more ambitious than the first film. Perhaps it spreads itself too widely because it does not have quite the impact of A Man and a Woman. However, it certainly has the Lelouch touch, is beautiful, glossy, romantic, full of pathos and human feeling. Many critics said it was too superficial. However, there is great strength in the stars: Yves Montand, Annie Girardot and Candice Bergen. Once again Francis Lai provides romantic music and the theme has become quite popular afterwards. In terms of an easy look at human relationships and complications, Live for Life is both entertaining and interesting.

1. The overall impact of the film? Audience response and popularity? How particularly French was the film and why?

2. The director's use of colour, the glossy atmosphere, the emphasis on camera techniques: close-ups and panning shots? The incorporation of newsreel material? The sequences where the dialogue was not heard? Sense of motion in cars, trains and planes etc.? What atmosphere did this technical side of the film create?

3. How appropriate was the musical score? Its use? The popular theme? The atmosphere of romance and melodrama?

4. How real did the film seem: in situations, characters, the focus on the rich? Why were people like this chosen for exploration? Can audiences identify with these rich people? Why are audiences interested in them?

5. The characters as the basis for a moral and romantic fable, the attractiveness of glamour, guiding the response of the audience?

6. How well did the film explore human issues: the nature of man, of woman? The relationship of love, fidelity and deception? marriage and its possibilities in our time? The role of work, courage, feelings, the capacity for hurting, reconciliation? Which scenes illustrated these themes best?

7. What did the inclusion of newsreel footage add to the film? An atmosphere of violence and social revolution: the Chinese revolution: the Chinese, Hitler, the Congo, Vietnam? The political and social comment of these additions? The contrast of style? The moral comment? Did this treatment seem pretentious or appropriate?

8. How interesting was the character of Robert? Audience response to him and identification? His strengths and his weaknesses? His initial excuses? His relationship with his wife? At home, lies, work? The attraction towards Candice? His taking her to the Congo and the growth of the involvement in the Congo? Pleasing his wife in Amsterdam? The complications with Candice? Why couldn't he tell the truth? Continue to tell lies? The incident with the crane and the platform ticket? The significance of the break with Catherine? His living with Candice and the failure of this relationship? Why was he involved in Vietnam? Popular response to him as a famous journalist? Focussing the audience's attention? The significance of his return, his pursuit of Catherine, proving of his love for her, the happiness at the end? Was this merited? Was the film rightfully optimistic? How true was the solution?

9. How did audiences identify with Catherine? The origins of her marriage with Robert, the stagnation of the marriage, her home life, her friends? Her joy in Amsterdam? Her acknowledging of his infidelity? Her hurt? The close-ups of her face when she knew the truth? The contrast with her new life, her work, skiing, friends, younger dancing? Why did she lose her pride and go back with Robert? Was this convincing, true?

10. Candice and her relationship with Robert? The attraction, the companionship in the Congo, the growth in love, her following him to Amsterdam, her learning through bitter experience and living with him, her commentary when she went back to New York, her being pictured in New York and fitting into that atmosphere, the significance (pretentious?) of her final ride through Central Park?

11. What scenes made most impact? Comment on the Congo sequences and the interviews with the mercenaries, as a different kind of commentary on human behaviour.

12. How enjoyable was the film, how valuable? The light treatment? Superficial? Or worthwhile?