Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours (1989)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Andrzej Zulawski

Writer:

Andrzej Zulawski (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

19 April 1989 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Lucas has invented a new computer language but at the same time he has been informed about his strange...

Plot Keywords:

Terminal Illness | Computer | Bizarre | Male Frontal Nudity | Rhyme

Cast

Sophie Marceau	...	Blanche
Jacques Dutronc	...	Lucas
Valérie Lagrange	...	Blanche's mère
Myriam Mézières	...	Edwige
Laure Killing	...	Ines
François Chaumette	...	Concierge
Sady Rebbot	...	François
Salim Talbi	...	Page
Jean-Pierre Hebrard	...	Michel
Michael Goldman
Marc Zammit
Christophe Luthringer
Isabelle Illiers
Isabel Schiffmacker
Jean Dolande
Guy Di Rigo
Alexandra Kazan
Pierre Alexandre
Chloe Bonaldi
Alice Bonin
Micheline Bourday
Alain Brochery
Fabrice Conca
Gilles Conseil
Ariane Deloir
Jacques Deloir
Robert Dullier
Loïc Even
Jean-Manuel Florensa
Armelle Gautret
Gabin Gracia
André Haber
Sylvie Herbert
Witold Heretynski
Agatha Le Grode
Solange Le Luhandre
Christian Loustau
André Lutrand
René Marjac
Ida N'Guessan
Sandrine Pessiglione
Leslie Rain
Didier Roset
Dimitri Rougeul
Jacqueline Vicaire
Arnold Walter

Directed by
Andrzej Zulawski

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Raphaële Billetdoux		uncredited
Andrzej Zulawski		writer

Original Music by
Andrzej Korzynski

Cinematography by
Patrick Blossier

Film Editing by
Marie-Sophie Dubus

Production Design by
Jean-Baptiste Poirot

Costume Design by
Olga Berluti

Makeup Department
Rachel Benaich	....	key hair stylist
Cédric Gérard	....	key makeup artist
Bruno Silvani	....	hair stylist
Hervé Soulié	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Françoise Le Jaffotec	....	assistant unit manager
François Menny	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Drach	....	second assistant director
Leslie Fargue	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Philippe Chabeur	....	assistant decorator
Pierre Jannic	....	property master

Sound Department
Jean-François Auger	....	sound mixer
Michèle Catonné	....	sound editor
Jean-Pierre Duret	....	sound engineer
François Lepeuple	....	assistant foley artist
Jacques Lévy	....	post-synchronization
Laurent Lévy	....	foley artist
Juliette Marchand	....	assistant sound editor
Pascal Metge	....	sound assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Nathalie Durand	....	first assistant camera
Rachid Madaoui	....	gaffer
Martine Peccoux	....	still photographer
Georges Pierre	....	still photographer
Rick Roessems	....	key grip
Yves Van der Smissen	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lyvia D'Alche	....	costume assistant
Sylvia Ottomani	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Brigitte Chanteloube	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Claude Bertonazzi	....	production administrator
Patrice Birzin	....	groupman
Yanou Collart	....	press attache
Laurence Couturier	....	script supervisor
Caroline Perchaud	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Saris

Distributors

• Synkronized (2006) (USA) (video)

Other Companies

• Eclair  film lab
• Euro-Titres  titles
• Les Auditoriums de Joinville  sound mixing studio
• Studio Philippe Sarde  dubbing
• Transpalux  electrical equipment

Also Known As:

My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days

Runtime:

110 min | Germany:86 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2007) (uncut) | West Germany:16 (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France

Company:

Saris

Zulawski, Zulawski, Zulawski: my attempt at a review of a French romantic film...

I have only seen one other Zulawski film before this one, POSSESSION, and while I found that film to be better than this one (to be precise: something of a masterpiece, in my opinion), I believe that MES NUITS SONT PLUS BELLES QUE VOS JOURS is essential viewing for anyone who loves French romantic cinema. Though Zulawski himself is Polish, MES NUITS(...) is thoroughly "Francofied", from its almost absurdly poetic title to its frank depiction of violence and sometimes aberrant sexual behavior (not to mention sex in general, of course).

The story concerns Lucas (French singer-actor Jacques Dutronc), a computer genius who has finally hit the jackpot, inventing and selling a new computer language that will revolutionize the field of technology. To be sure, Lucas would ordinarily be thrilled with this, but he has just learned that he is suffering from a rare disease that begins by destroying the memory. With seemingly days left to live, he meets a beautiful, much younger woman in a café: Blanche (Sophie Marceau, then-lover of director Zulawski) is an up-and-coming nightclub performer and model (who seems to have psychic abilities). Though completely different from one another, they have one thing in common: desperation. Lucas's desperation comes from the knowledge of his impending death; Blanche's desperation is more spiritual in nature. Both Blanche and Lucas suffer from memories of tragic childhoods, and both feel alone and unloved even though they should feel on top of the world. The two begin a strange affair that I'd hesitate to call "tender"; there is plenty of passion in this film, but it is all very cold, as I believe was intended. In Zulawski's universe, there is no time for tenderness, and the laws of passion are the only ones worth following. As the film hammers on in an energetic, often funny fashion, it becomes increasingly dark and tragic. By the film's end, we are spending much of our time witnessing a fractured reality from Lucas's point of view. His deterioration is portrayed brilliantly by having Lucas constantly speak, in an attempt to hang on to sense and logic, only to lose all hope as his ability to communicate thought breaks apart, and gibberish flows ceaselessly from his lips. A tragic film, a darkly comic one, but at the last moment, I think an oddly optimistic one.

It's really too bad that so many people have never heard of Zulawski. After seeing only two of his films, I'm convinced that he's a unique and engaging filmmaker who deserves far more respect. Perhaps the future will see a discovery of his work. Quickly, before Zulawski retires...!