LA GIFLE (THE SLAP)
France, 1974, 104 minutes, Colour.
Lino Ventura, Annie Girardot, Isabelle Adjani, Nicole Courcel, Francis Perrin, Michel Aumont, Robert Hardy, Nathalie Baye, Xavier Gelin, Georges Wilson.
Directed by Claude Pinoteau.
The Slap is a French comedy of the 1970s – with some excursions across the channel to England. The film focuses on an eighteen-year-old girl, played by the eighteen-year-old Isabelle Adjani, at the beginning of her long career. Her parents are played by veterans Lino Ventura and Annie Girardot. The film looks at the problems of relationships between the generations, the development of the young girl, the tensions with the parents. It is conventional material – but done particularly well because of the strong cast.
1. The title of the film, impact and the tone, expectations?
2. The impact of the film on a French audience, non-French audience? Nature and reasons for differences?
3. How important was French sensibility? Colour, locations, atmosphere? Modern French living? Music? The locations of Paris, the city, universities, the world of teaching? The contrast with England? A glimpse of a cross-section of the modern world and its characters? How easy was it for the audience to identity with the characters and situation, the issues? Enjoyably?
4. How engaging a character was Isobel? As a young girl, credible and attractive, her age, her background? The film as a study of Isobel? Her father and his expectations of her, his strictness and yet his own double standards? The absence of her mother and her longing for her? The only child? The bonds between herself and her father, her father's mistress? Seen here as a student, at work, in the laboratory, preparation for exams and lack of preparation, her tears? Her outings? Her decision to leave with May? The bond between the two? Her relationship with her friends, especially her girl student friend and her exhortation to do the exam? The crisis of nerve with the exam, her failure, going to the cinema? Her Inability to cope? A portrait of a typical young girl?
5. Her decision to run away: preparation, the notes? The encounter with May? The train, bike? The purpose of her going to England and her experience of England? The reuniting with her mother, her hopes? The importance of her changes of mood? Changes of decision? What future would she have?
6. Isobel as seen in relation to her father, his mistress? How did they throw light on what was happening in her? Her friends and fellow student? The effect of Romy and his love? Her mother, Robert and his English approach? How unstable and confused was Isobel? why?
7. The film's filling in of details of university, study, exams, students?
8. The contrast with social life, parties? Mare and her emotional relationship with him? Mare and his sexual relationships? Remy?
9. How interesting was the portrait of Isobel's father: as a man. his work, the reaction to the strike and the students not attending his class? His helping the victim and the irony of the police brutality? The red tape and bureaucracy and his losing his job? The pressures on officialdom? His relationship with his mistress and her decision to leave him? His not telling Isobel about all that had happened, the move? His standards as imposed on his daughter, specially about living with Mare? The importance of his pursuit of Isobel to England? His being out of his depth in England, even with language? His reaction to his ex-wife? To Robert? His fear of losing his daughter? What was he left with at the end? How credible a portrait of a modern father?
10. The character of Mare as a typical young student, a type? Love for Isobel, double values and being able to be blackmailed by her father? His being left at the end with Isobel's father?
11. Remy and the circle of friends, his love for Isobe1, taking her away, the experience in England, the crash? (the visual impression of the crash and its location? What bond of love between the two? For the future?
12. The portrait of Isobel's mother, the explanations of her having left the family? The reasons? That she had been no real help to her daughter? Her place and status In England? Love for Robert, Marriage? The importance of divorce? The consequences of reuniting and reconciliation? the translation? Her relationship with her ex-husband? Helping Isobel go back to Paris, to go to Australia? What was she left with at the end?
13. The irony of the presentation of Robert as at home in England, alien to this French world and French sensibility, even to language?
14. How important were the details of the films the way of life, the stress on meals and interactions at meals, outings, exams, Isobel at home?
15. The movement and vitality in the structure and in the film's techniques train trips, cars, bikes, boat, the crash?
16. How important were the modern values explored? The tensions of living in the modern world, problems? A portrait of people of their time?
