On connaît la chanson (1997)
Directed by Alain Resnais

Film Review

On connaît la chanson marked Alain Resnais' triumphal return to mainstream French cinema in the late 1990s.  The film, hugely popular in France, is wedded in the familiar Resnais themes of time, place and memory, but his approach here is much lighter and more accessible than in his earlier, more abstract works such as L'année dernière à Marienbad.

Resnais' great innovation for this film is to intermittently weave popular French songs from the past fifty or so years into the dialogue.  His inspiration for this were the television series created by the celebrated British writer, Dennis Potter ("Pennies from Heaven", "The Singing Detective", "Lipstick on Your Collar").  In these series, the main characters would express their innermost thoughts by breaking into song and dance, miming to a well-known song.    Resnais, who offers this film as a tribute to Potter, uses the same lip-synching approach, but uses snatches of songs rather than complete ballads.   It is an idea which works surprisingly well, giving the film some of its funniest moments, although non-French viewers who are not familiar with the songs may fail to appreciate some of the references.

The dialogue was written by Jean-Pierre Bacri et Agnès Jaoui, who wrote and starred in Resnais' earlier two-part film, Smoking/No Smoking, the director's most minimalist and controversial film to date.  The duo also star in the film, alongside other regulars to Resnais' films, Pierre Arditi, Sabine Azéma and André Dussollier. Sabine Azéma gives a particularly enjoyable performance as the driven and paranoid Odile who is heading for a spectacular fall.

Although the film fared well in France, and landed a remarkable seven Césars, it has not repeated its success abroad.  Nonetheless, this is an entertaining romantic comedy, perhaps a little too complicated, but ceaselessly charming and with some very funny moments.

Film Synopsis

In Paris, Camille divides her time between studying for a degree in history and working as a tourist guide.  Her sister Odile is obsessed with changing her apartment, but gets no encouragement from her mediocre husband Claude, with whom she is becoming increasingly frustrated.  Both women are about to have their lives thrown into a turmoil when three men suddenly barge into their lives.  First there is Simon, an estate agent who fills his empty hours by writing plays for the radio.  He becomes so obsessed with Camille that he feels compelled to follow her about and ends up disrupting her guided tours.

Unfortunately for Simon, it is not him that Camille takes a shine to, but his handsome and incredibly seductive employer Marc, who happens to be an inveterate skirt chaser.  On her side, Odile has to deal with the unexpected re-appearance of an old flame of hers, Nicholas, who presently lives in London but intends moving to Paris with his family, once he has found a place to live.  This is how he comes into contact with Simon, who is more than willing to help him find his dream apartment.

Things are not going so well for Nicholas as he pretends.  Prone to bouts of depression, he is going through a difficult period with his wife Jane and has all but made up his mind to leave her.  From his erratic behaviour, Odile and her sister soon become convinced that Nicholas has a secret lover.  The fact that Camille suffers from recurring panic attacks makes her increasingly messy involvement with Marc and Simon unbearable, and as a result she finds it impossible to complete her doctoral thesis.  Meanwhile, Claude has found himself a mistress and contemplates leaving Odile.  How this tangled web of intrigue will unravel is anyone's guess...