PAUL AND MICHELLE

France/Great Britain, 1974, 105 minutes, Colour.
Anicee Alvina, Sean Bury, Keir Dullea, Ronald Lewis, Catherine Allegret.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Paul and Michelle is a sequel to Friends. At the end of Friends, audiences may have been wondering about the future of Paul and Michelle. Perhaps they were puzzled by the marriage and two young teenagers and the light glamour of the film's style. Here is the answer to the question, the fairy tale ended (we are treated here to lengthy flashbacks) and real life stepped in. Three years later, Paul seeks Michelle in an attempt to build on the past. This film is much the same in tone and style as Friends, the same cast and the same director with the addition of Keir Dullea. It is a mixture of romantic cliche and youthful appeal.

1. The attractiveness of this film? The reasons for its being made? Its role as a sequel, the reputation of the original? Audience feeling for the characters, curiosity about their lives? How successful in its own right, as a sequel?

2. Can the film stand by itself? The explanatory flashbacks, the intermittent flashbacks throughout the film, the flavour of the original, the tone of the present film?

3. The contribution of colour, songs, the settings of Nice, Paris, the French countryside? A real world, a fantasy world?

4. The film's attitude to the affair and its impact on the lives of Paul and Michelle? Audience judgement on this? The effect of their adolescent love on each of them? The significance of the baby Sylvie? The effect of three years and the change on each of them? How well had they grown up?

5. The importance of Sir Robert? The background from the earlier film? His severe role as father? His forbidding Paul to see Michelle for three years? His disapproval, the stopping of money? How did the audience regard him? Did he merit hostile response?

6. The character of Paul? How well had he grown, the effect of study, his yearning for Michelle and Sylvie? The emotional involvement of the search, the effect of the discovery, his realisation of Michelle's changing Sylvie? Their making love and trying to reconstitute the earlier love? What possibility of a future did they have? Where did audience sympathy lie?

7. How had Michelle changed over the years? The effect of motherhood? Her maturity? Her needing to survive, her relationship with Gary? Her being hurt, her love for Sylvie? The beginning again of the relationship with Paul, her confession of this to Gary?

8. The role of Gary in the film? How convincing a character, the third in the triangle? His relationship with Michelle, his attitudes towards Sylvie, to Paul? Did he face the situations realistically?

9. The transition from Paris to Nice? The fashionable parties, the presentation of university life, wealth and poverty, demonstrations, the tone against the police? How convincing was this way of life? The impact of poverty and making do? Could love flourish in such a situation? How well did each of them cope? Their friends and their advice? Sylvie in these circumstances?

10. The effect of work on each of them? Paul's study and his fatigue in such hard manual work? The consequences of this?

11. The importance of Michelle's pregnancy, Paul's attitude, her attitude towards the abortion, Gary's role?

12. How realistic was the ending? Was any other alternative possible? The facing of facts, feelings?

13. How well did the film explore the themes of love, relationships, the responsibility of children, money and work, the role of study?