THE THINGS OF LIFE (LES CHOSES DE LA VIE)

France, 1970, 89 minutes, Colour.
Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider, Lea Massari.
Directed by Claude Sautet.

The Things of Life looks like a typically French, colour romance, descended from A Man and A Woman, even to lengthy sequences of car-driving. However, it takes the car-driving a step further and the framework of the film is a car accident which is shown in part several times and twice fully - in slow motion and at normal speed. The main part of the film is flashback. The story is familiar and slight - an older married man making a decision to leave his wife for his mistress. However, the film is made with a light touch. The actors draw audience response of interest and concern and the romantic colour photography, full of warmth and light, gives the tragedy a lyrical tone. Audiences can enjoy and be interested in such a treatment of a serious theme (even though critics point out that the style of the film is that used so frequently for commercials).

A humane film which raises the frequently met issues of love, marriage and responsibility.

1. Was this just another glossy, woman's story, cigarette-commercial style, sentimental romance? (Some critics said it was.)

2. How effective were the flashbacks in view of the accident and the audience's knowledge that the story ended with the accident?

3. Did you get to know Pierre as a person? What kind of a man was he? Why did he behave as he did? Was he an ordinary kind of man?

4. What kind of people were his wife, Helene, his son, his business associate and friend? Why did all of them like him? Why were they saddened by his death?

5. Why had Pierre fallen out of love with his wife? How do the flashbacks show this?

6. What kind of a girl was Helene? Why did she love Pierre? How much happiness did she expect or want? Did her mother explain her daughter's shyness well?

7. What was the point of showing the actual accident in such detail? What was the effect of showing it twice, once in slow motion and once at normal speed? Was this just a gimmick or did it help you to understand the role accident and death played in the film?

8. Why was Pierre happy although severely injured and dying? Did he die happy? What impact did his imagination of death as a swimming, drifting away from his family and drowning have on you?

9. What were Pierre's wife's feelings when she read his letter to Helene? Did she think he had stopped loving Helene? Is this why she tore up the note? Was she happy?

10. What was the irony in the wife's reading his note and seeing Helene run to the hospital? She actually prevented Helene from being unhappy by tearing up the note.

11. Critics said the film was derivative of the commercial-style of A Man and A Woman - colour, lush, natural settings, car drives, romantic music. Do you think this took away something from the film?