The Passerby

Joseph Kessel was a pillar of the French literary world. A Jewish writer who often wrote about war and exotic locales, he was elected to the Academy, becoming a sort of Hemingway figure. North Americans know him through The Lion (Cardiff), Night of the Generals (Litvak), and The Horsemen (Frankenheimer). The latter had one of the best performances by Omar Sharif I can recall. L'Armee des ombres (Melville) was one of the most moving resistance stories I've seen. Too, he wrote Belle de Jour, which all Deneuve fans are eternally grateful for.

This film is not on a level with the others. Slow, talky, and with the political themes not fully brought out (although the scene with Maria Schell and the urn containing her husband's ashes is wonderful), I'd be hard pressed to make a case for it as essential viewing. For Romy Schneider completists.

Don't let the opportunity pass by to watch another movie with Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider.

Don't expect anything. Strange enough, Kessel wrote great stuff, but in the end this one plot here doesn't cut it. It has holes between the original and the screenplay. So the plot moves along in a clever way, though continuously stumbling over its own feet. Like not using whatever the plot offers, but dragging in detail.

I don't want to go into the spoiler section, therefore I offer a short sentence only on the ending: It doesn't fit. It isn't quite logic. And the very end looks like an effort in educating the audience. Why, actually, after a movie that has already been filled with ethic and moral goodness, and painted the bad guys in all possible shadows of black.

Were it not for the fantastic three main characters, it would be thumbs down.

I have enjoyed some wonderful French films. Among them are some of the most insightful cinema experiences I can recall. Thought provoking, adult in their treatment of relationships, written with interesting characters and subtle performances. Some have remained in my mind for days after seeing them - very satisfying entertainment. But not this one.

Mercy for this movie! It is not one of the greatest, it doesn't avoid some "kitsch", and is parallelization of nazism and neonazism is more than naiv... I know. But when you have the chance to see one of the most beautiful women ever appeared on a movie screen - Romy Schneider -, and see her accompanied by such a fine french actor as Michel Piccoli is - wouldn't it be foolish to play the severe judge?

Elsa Wiener (Romy Schneider), a good up-standing wife. Her husband, Michel Wiener (Helmut Griem), has committed something atrocious and he's sent to jail. He confronts her, asking for her aid in this serious matter.

An okay film mixed with drama and some mystery notes, this film greatly shows Schneider's capability, in her language skills as well as in her strong acting interpretations.

Her willingness and desire to still keep participating in French cinema is impressive and greatly shows her resilience to keep trying, even when personal tragedies sadly were in her way, she still chose to stand up and continue fighting.

Romy Schneider dedicated this film to her late son, David, and to his father. Such a heartbreaking tale this film is, both literally and metaphorically. May she rest in peace and keep enchanting future generations with her resilience, her charming acting and her lovely and kind personality.