Film Review
This little-known first film from writer Paula Delsol was not well-received when it was
released in France in the 1960s. Thanks partly to its over-18 certification, the film
was a commercial failure and Delsol only made one other film,
Ben et Bénédict (1977)
(although she later did some work for television).
La Dérive is very much a film
of its time, with many of the characteristics we now associate with the French New Wave:
almost exclusive use of natural locations, crude editing, apparently
improvisational acting, and no shortage of style. Whilst the film does not have
the depth or impact of the films made by Delsol's Nouvelle Vague
contemporaries, it forcefully evokes an era when reaction against traditional
values (represented by the state and the family) was gaining momentum and when women were
beginning to embrace sexual freedom, thanks mainly to more effective means of birth control.
The sumptuous location photography adds to the film's charms, even giving
it a neo-realist feel in places, and the jazz soundtrack supplies another layer of poetry
and spiritual longing. There's also a touching irony in this film, in
that Jacquie's quest for freedom will inevitably drive her into the trap of wedlock
that she is so desperate to avoid. After all, the only other outcome is a life of
meaningless short-term liaisons and disappointments - hardly a happy ending.
Pierre Barouh, a popular musician of the 1960s, appears briefly in the film; he is most famous
for writing and singing the lyrics of the theme song for Claude Lelouch's
Un homme et une femme (1966).
© James Travers 2005
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In the 1960s, Jacquie is twenty and desperate to escape from her humble background
which offers her scant chance of real fulfilment and happiness. One
morning, she turns her back on her home in Paris and sets off for the south
of France, in the company of her boyfriend Pierre, a strolling guitar player.
When Pierre suddenly leaves her, Jacquie continues her journey alone and
then accepts a lift from a young student. Finally, she reaches her
mother's place, at Palavas-les-Flots, and renews her acquaintance with an
old school friend, Jean, who has always had a crush on her.
Jean has many attractive qualities but he holds no interest for the restless
Jacquie and she is soon pursuing another fleeting liaison with another young
man, Régis. Disillusioned with love and short of cash, the young
woman is forced to return to her mother, but she cannot bear the prospect
of ending up like her sister, trapped in a dreary life of hard work that
offers no rewards. Instead, Jacquie begins looking for a more satisfying
job, whilst continuing her seemingly endless search for the man of her dreams...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.