Saturday, 18 September 2021 18:55

Vie, L'Amour, La Mort, La/ Life Love Death






LIFE, LOVE, DEATH

France/Italy, 1968, 116 minutes, Colour.
Amidou, Caroline Cellier, Janine Magnan, Marcel Bozzuffi.
Directed by Claude Lelouch.

Life, Love, Death was made by Claude Lelouch, best known for his romantic A Man and A Woman. Here he uses his rather lush, colourful style for a deadly serious theme: capital punishment. The first half of the film is the satisfying Lelouch we are used to. The second half becomes fittingly sombre, even passing into a silver-grey monochrome for almost unbearable prison sequences. The finale is one of the most anguishing one could sit through and makes the last word of propaganda credible. Recommended as thoughtful blend of commercial style with message about the grim realities of crime and human punishment

1. The overall impact of this film: in terms of enjoyment. interest, a harrowing experience? Which predominated? Why?

2. Comment on the style of the film: Claude Lelouch style. the variety of cinematic techniques,. the obviousness of the effects? The use of colour, the use of monochrome? Tinted scenes etc? Did this distract from the plot, from the message? Did it contribute to it?

3. The emphasis of the title,, the three phases of the film illustrating this? How much weight and depth in the exploration of these themes?

4. Critics were divided on the structure of the film. was it effective to lure the audience on and play with its sympathies in order to make a point? Was it too confusing? Would it have been better to have a straightforward narrative?

5. The initial impact of the prisoner? The portrayal of his ordinary way of life and its details, the adultery, the relationship with Caroline, the family? The judgement that the audience made on his way of life? The ordinary man?

6. The impact of the arrest, the police watching him, the interrogations etc? Audience sympathy for this? Did the audience think him guilty or not?

7. The scenes of the treatment of the prisoner, the way of prison life, the sermon, the film? The nature of prison life for anyone, even if he is not guilty? If the prisoner is discovered to be guilty, does it change the impact of prison life?

8. The French atmosphere, French courts and justice? The sermon on liberty? The visual exploration of freedom, imprisonment, justice?

9. The impact of the montage of the trial? Was this an effective way to communicate the trial?

10. Did the explanation of motivation come too late in the film, or was it just right for the theme? The satisfactory explanation and background, motivation? Was it clear what motivated Francis Toledo? Did it excuse him in any way?

11. Did he deserve death? The change to monochrome colouring? The steely and grey atmosphere? The suddenness of the guillotine?

12. The film's exploration of themes of capital punishment? The kind of society which has capital punishment? The effectiveness of the film as a protest? The impact on the audience to harrow them? Is this means of commercial communication an effective way of making a wide-ranging protest?

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