Par un beau matin d'été (1965)
Directed by Jacques Deray

Film Review

Former assistant to Luis Buñuel and Jules Dassin, Jacques Deray released his fourth crime drama, Par un beau matin d'été, on the 17th February 1965.  Based on a book by James Hadley Chase, the simple storyline (involving crooks and gangsters who kidnap a young heiress and hold her to ransom) is perhaps a little familiar.  It has to be said that the film is, overall, unremarkable but it benefits from a fine cast and some crisp photography of its sun-drenched countryside locations.  If the first half is generally light-hearted, it becomes more serious when the criminals begin to deal with the dramatic consequences of their actions. 

Some critics have said that because of its uneven pace and lack of action the film has difficulty taking flight, and the magnificent score from Michel Magne makes a stark contrast with Michel Audiard's uninspired dialogue.  Others have said that Jacques Deray does a fine job of sustaining tension where there is none.  Nevertheless, almost everyone agreed that some intriguing plot developments maintain the viewer's attention in a movie strewn with tense moments. 

The superb cast is headed by the biggest French star of the time, Jean-Paul Belmondo, although he seems a little lost and wasted on this lacklustre crime film.  Perhaps the most striking presence in the film is that of the sparkling Sophie Daumier, who plays Belmondo's sexy sister.  Special mention goes to the actor Georges Geret, and a very young Geraldine Chaplin makes a remarkable debut as Zelda.  The supporting players include Jacques Monod, Italian actors Gabriele Ferzetti and Adolfo Celli, as well as the wonderful American-Armenian actor Akim Tamiroff.  Par un beau matin d'été may have been a critical and artistic failure, but this did not prevent it from attracting an audience of 1.5 million.

Film Synopsis

On the Côte d'Azur, Francis and his sister Monique make a comfortable living by dubious means.  Monique lures men to her bedroom where, in the course of their lovemaking, they are surprised by Francis, who demands financial reparation to avoid a scandal.  Bored with this way of life, Francis and Monique allow a hoodlum to talk them into participating in a kidnapping that will earn them millions in one fell swoop.  In Spain, they succeed in abducting the teenage daughter of a wealthy man, but all too soon the plan begins to unravel, with dramatic consequences...