PARDON MON AFFAIRE (UN ELEPHANT CA TROMPE ENORMEMENT)

France, 1976, 105 minutes, Colour.
Jean Rochefort, Claude Brasseur, Guy Bedos, Victor Lanoux, Anny Duperey, Danielle Delorme.
Directed by Yves Robert.

Pardon Mon Affaire is a French comedy which was very popular indeed and gained an Oscar nomination for best foreign film. The original title was "The Elephant Trumpets". It is a satirical look at French morals, especially those of respectable middle-aged men and their sexual fantasies. It allows the rather simple hero to play out his - with satirical and seemingly tragic results. However the film takes that amoral Gallic stance which may be very acceptable and humorous in France but which Anglo-Saxon? audiences find very hard to take. It is the same kind of tone that was taken in such films as "Cousin Cousine’ and "Blue Country". Very well acted indeed, especially by Jean Rochefort. The film was directed by Yves Robert who made many French comedies but achieved international fame with the two "Tall Blond Men” films.

1. An entertaining comedy? The international reputation of this film? Universal appeal? The response of a French audience?

2. The aspects and characteristics of the French sense of humour? Wit, parody, farce? A sardonic attitude towards life? The humour of sexuality, relationships, age?

3. The alternate titles and their implications and tone?

4. The moral stances of the screenplay? Tone? An amoral approach to age, relationships, sexuality? Leaving the moral judgment to the audience?

5. Themes of age, marriage, flirtations and affairs, male comradeship, the seven year itch (and the echoes of Billy Wilder's film), the challenge of changes in life, coping with change? A man in his middle age involved in reality and fantasy? The real problem, satiric fun being poked at the predicament? The ambiguity of the ending?

6. A contemporary comedy? Issues of tone? French, universal? The urban atmosphere, work, recreations?

7. The focus of Etienne and his age, his work, his relationship with Marthe, his children? The chance encounter with Charlotte and the infatuation? The humour of the mistaken date? His inability to go to the rendezvous, the false rendezvous with Madame Esperanza? Pretexts for going out, search for excuses? His friends and his relationship to each of them? Each mirroring the other in aspects of age and relationships?

8. The development or his infatuation with Charlotte? The decision to go horse-riding with the consequent comedy, the meetings and his conversation, the flight to London and the elaborate preparations and his arrival in Brussels, the taking Charlotte to his party and the discovery or the family, the elaborate charade or his friends to get him to Charlotte's for the night? The farcical arrival or her husband, his being in the lodge, the T.V. coverage? The repercussions for his future an he roll and may the blonde?

9. How much insight into the feelings or the middle aged man and his dissatisfaction with his life? Search for adventure? The comic touches ? Etienne in the rain, the horse-riding?

10. The portrait or Daniel and his friendship, the practical jokes, especially his destruction of the bar pretending to be blind? The revelation of his homosexuality, the pathos of his relationships, his apartment? Simone and his work as a doctor, the story of his affairs, his mother and her personality, relationship with her lover, intrusion on the meal, the tennis court? Bouly and his rages, his wife leaving him, his searching for her? The friends and their attempts to find her? and their being bashed?


11. The women in the film in relationship to the men - Marthe and her education, being a faithful housewife, the daughters? (the humour of Lucienne and his pressing his suit with Marthe?) Charlotte and her glamour, her getting cool with the vent, her horse-riding, relationship with the minister, her dates with Etienne, her lies about her married status? and his lies? The revelation of Etienne's family? The night and the fulfilment of Etienne's hopes? Her final waving goodbye? Madame Espinosa and the dates, her treatment of Etienne at the office? Bouly's wit?

12. The episodic nature of the plot, the humorous tone? The quality of the acting?

13. A satisfying comedy, observation of human experience? The points being made?