Les deux anglaises et le continent (1971)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

Henri-Pierre Roché (novel)
François Truffaut (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 November 1971 (France)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Plot:

At the beginning of the 20th century, Claude Roc, a young middle-class Frenchman meets in Paris Ann Brown...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Love | Letter | Marriage | Nudity

Cast

Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Claude Roc
Kika Markham	...	Ann Brown
Stacey Tendeter	...	Muriel Brown
Sylvia Marriott	...	Mrs. Brown
Marie Mansart	...	Madame Roc
Philippe Léotard	...	Diurka
Irène Tunc	...	Ruta
Mark Peterson	...	Mr. Flint
Georges Delerue	...	Claude's Business Agent
Marie Iracane	...	Madame Roc's maidservant
Marcel Berbert	...	Vendeur d'art
Jeanne Lobre	...	Porter
David Markham	...	Palmist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sophie Baker	...	Amie au café (uncredited)
René Gaillard	...	Chauffeur de taxi (uncredited)
Anne Levaslot	...	Muriel enfant (uncredited)
Annie Miller	...	Monique (uncredited)
Christine Pellé	...	Secrétaire de Claude (uncredited)
Guillaume Schiffman	...	Enfant (uncredited)
Mathieu Schiffman	...	Enfant (uncredited)
Jeanne Sophie	...	Clarisse (uncredited)
Eva Truffaut	...	Enfant (uncredited)
François Truffaut	...	Récitant / Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Laura Truffaut	...	Enfant (uncredited)

Directed by
François Truffaut

Writing credits
Henri-Pierre Roché		(novel "Deux anglaises et le continent")
François Truffaut		(adaptation & dialogue) &
Jean Gruault		(adaptation & dialogue)

Original Music by
Georges Delerue

Cinematography by
Néstor Almendros		(as Nestor Almendros)

Film Editing by
Martine Barraqué
Yann Dedet

Production Design by
Michel de Broin

Costume Design by
Gitt Magrini

Makeup Department
Simone Knapp	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Marcel Berbert	....	executive in charge of production
Claude Miller	....	production manager (as Claude Miler)
Roland Thénot	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Suzanne Schiffman	....	assistant director
Olivier Mergault	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Jean-Claude Dolbert	....	property master
Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko	....	design assistant (as Jean-Pierre Kohut)

Sound Department
René Levert	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Yves Lafaye	....	assistant camera
Jean-Claude Rivière	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Pierangelo Cicoletti	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Claudine Kaufmann	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Christian Lentretien	....	production administrator
Christine Pellé	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Les Films du Carrosse
• Cinétel

Distributors

• Valoria Films (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) (1983) (France) (theatrical) (remasterd)
• MK2 Diffusion (2000) (France) (re-release)
• MK2 Éditions (2002) (France) (DVD) (special edition)
• Artfree (2009) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-issue)
• Gala Film Distributors (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (1972) (USA) (subtitled) (cut version)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• L.T.C.  laboratory
• S.I.S.  auditorium
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes (as Tirelli-Rome)

Also Known As:

Two English Girls (Canada: English title) (USA) (cut version)
Anne and Muriel (UK)
Les deux anglaises (France) (reissue title)
Two English Girls and the Continent (International: English title) (informal literal title)

Runtime:

USA:108 min (cut version) | France:116 min (cut version) | 130 min (director's cut) | Argentina:120 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:11 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Auderville, Manche, France

Company:

Les Films du Carrosse

Trivia:

Anne's last words in the film are, "If you send for a doctor, I will see him now." These were writer Emily Brontë's last words before she died, Truffaut who was an avid reader probably used her words in the film as an homage or to compare her to the character of Anne.

Movie Connections:

References Jules et Jim (1962)

good movie, could have been a masterpiece

there are two things that held this film back from being a truffaut masterpiece: the voice over and jean pierre leaud.

the voice over is overused in this film and is hardly effective in many cases. the voice over always sound rushed, hasty and monotonous, it hardly treats the story sensitively and it sounds like truffaut (the one doing the voice over) is trying to say it as fast as he can so he can move on to something else in the story. the problem is he uses the voice over to explain complex emotions of the characters and he could have used someone else to do the voice over with more expression and pace. this brings me to my second problem with the film. the voice over is often explaining the complex emotions of leaud's character, claude, while leaud wears the same expression of confusion and dismay throughout the film. he says his lines in that same quiet, shy voice for most of the film and looks uncomfortable and timid in the role. my suspicion is that truffaut used voice over to compensate for leaud's lack of acting ability. leaud is thoroughly miscast as claude, a complex character who is at the center of the love triangle.

but somehow, the film does pull together and is a very moving story about what happens when three people distrust their instincts and refuse to make decisions about their feelings for one another. anne and claude hide their intention of committing to each other behind this french idea of "free love" that neither really buys into. muriel is a very religious woman who treads very carefully with claude because of his ideas on love and sex and has some very strong guilty feelings about her sexual desire. claude...well according to the voice over, he prefers to love them from afar than to choose between them. he wants both women, but knows he can't so he subconsciously refuse to choose between them and just go back and forth between the two when the relationship with one becomes difficult.

anne and muriel are similar to other truffaut heroines. anne is more forgiving and nurturing and patient, very much like Julie from day for night. muriel is the unstable passionate one who could sacrifice her sanity for a man, very much like catherine from jules and jim or adele H. they're both well acted by kika markham and stacey tendeter, and they're the ones who carry this film. the photography wasn't as lush as i expected it to be, but it has enough eye candy for those who love costume dramas with nice houses and gardens. the voice over and the dialogue are very well written and is poetic without sounding trite most of the time.

the film could have been a masterpiece of truffaut if he'd got someone else to do the voice over and got a more competent actor for claude. the film compensates for these weaknesses with superb writing and good performances from the rest of the cast.