A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later

Having exquisite memories of the first film, "A Man and a Woman", I looked forward to seeing the sequel, "A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later."

Yes, there were the famous faces and superb actors (Aimee and Trintigant), looking very little the worse for wear; in other words, wonderful. So expressive, both of them, in facial expression, mood expressions and fantastic acting. However, they are in a losing vehicle, with this film. It is so unmoving, that it relies on several subplots to impart to it some action. Hardly fair to two such stellar actors! They deserve better. And the viewer, alas, deserves better. I am, however, grateful for small things - and if seeing those two magnetic characters again thrilled and elated me...what's a plot? Yes, I would recommend it to any viewer who feels as I do about great actors. Just don't look for anything more; simply bask in their respective glows. Hence, my title: A Bittersweet Viewing Experience.

In 1966 a beautiful and very artistic film with a very simple story caught the attention of many movie lovers, the romantic and deep "Un Homme et Une Femme", directed by Claude Lelouch and starred by Anouk Aimee and Jean-Louis Trintignant playing the title roles. The movie won the Palm D'Or at Cannes and 2 Academy Awards and was well acclaimed by the public and the critics. 20 years later the same team returned and that return was named properly as "Une Homme et Une Femme, 20 ans Deja" ("A Man and a Woman, 20 Years Later"). The result is quite different of the original film but it has it's good moments and it's full of charm.

Jean-Louis (Trintignant) and Anne Gauthier (Aimee) were a happy couple in the 1960's but for some odd reason they split and follow different paths. Both got married with different persons. The former race car pilot married with a younger woman and now he drives in rallies; the actress is now a film producer married with a TV newscaster. Anne and Jean-Louis have the chance to meet each other again when Anne is producing a movie about their relationship and she wants his consent to make the film and remember the good old days, when they met, they got involved with each other and the song of their lives. But their partners aren't satisfied with that meeting and their jealousy might disturb the calm and lovely encounter.

OK, many have said that this film was unnecessary sequel, that it's weaker than the original film, that this a waste of time and that sometimes was hard to follow because it has an minor plot that looks dislocated of the movie and only near of the end you understand why the minor plot appeared. My opinion over "Un Homme et Une Femme, 20 ans Deja" is that Lelouch missed a good chance to make a great movie, way better than it is. It looks like a poor sequel of a great film mixed with Truffaut's "Le Nuit Americaine" ("Day by Night"). In Truffaut's movie we see all that happens during the making of a film, the actors relationship and the problems that happens while a movie is made. Same thing here. We don't have the chance to see the emotional changes between Anne and Jean-Louis, we've only seen talking about the film she's making and a little bit of their memories. It could have been like "Before the Sunset" was to "Before Sunrise", the reunion of what a passionate couple and their views on life, romance, marriage, fears, secrets, and other similar things discussed by couples when they split and met again years later. It lacked intelligence here, it lacked humor also. But at least you can see the physical difference between Anne and Jean-Louis. Lelouch alternate a few moments with scenes from "Un Homme et Une Femme" and this film. She's still beautiful, very charming; he looks like a villain taken of some B-movie, with beard, nothing similar to what he used to be, seductive and handsome.

Francis Lai's theme music appears here in a Jazz style, way different of the original film but it's still good, a very romantic theme. I liked this sequel because of its nostalgic moments, the city of Paris is beautifully shot, the behind the scenes of Anne's film is very interesting and to see two great talented Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimee, they're great together even if the movie is weak. If it wasn't for the scene where Jean-Louis's wife goes crazy in the desert I might give an 10. 9/10

If you saw "Un Homme et un Femme" and loved it, do yourself a favor and don't watch this one.

I believe Lelouch needed a few extra bucks because this film ruins the story of the first. Did we need to know what happened to Anne and Jean-Louis 20 minutes after the first movie is over? Not really.

And even if you consider this film alone, its still a very boring flick. And pointless. The story makes too many detours with their every day life: what they do now, how they evolved, and constantly needs the support of the first film to make a little sense. At the end of it, one is left with a bitter aftertaste of having betrayed the beautiful first story. Second parts are seldom good, and this movie proves it perfectly.

Sometimes Claude Lelouch makes good films or masterpieces, sometimes not at all.

This sequel of "Un homme et une femme" is useless. It's not a bad movie in itself, because it's well acted, well made and very refined -high quality is a trademark in Lelouch movies. That's why I give 4 stars out of 10...

But it's a useless project. Was it necessary to go back to the story and spoil the original picture? The 1966 film is very simple -it's a masterpiece because of that. There are only Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimée, the chemistry is incredible. The film is really poetic, we don't want to know how their love story goes on.

In the 1986 sequel we find them 20 years later -Lelouch tells us what they have become and how they meet again. There are other characters and facts which intersect with them.

As I said not a really bad movie, but it doesn't stand comparison at all with the original. It would have been better not to produce it.

Twenty years after their affair, the promoter of the Paris-Dakar race Jean-Louis Duroc (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is called by the producer Anne Gauthier (Anouk Aimée) to Paris. After producing a movie that was a complete failure in audience, Anne intends to make a movie about their love. Meanwhile, a serial killer escapes from the hospital, and is found dead, together with the wife of his doctor. "Un Homme et Une Femme" is a delightful and charming classic romantic movie. Unfortunately, director Claude Lelouche decided to make this sequel, using the same cast, twenty years later. I do not dare to say that "Un Homme et Une Femme, 20 Ans Déjà" is a bad movie. However, it kills, for example, the magnificent open end of the original movie, showing what has happened with Jean-Louis Duroc and Anne Gauthier along twenty years. Further, there is a parallel story, and many sub-plots that are completely out of the context, mixing a romantic story with a thriller and a drama. Jean-Louis Trintignant aged too much, and Anouk Aimée is still very beautiful and elegant, but the wonderful chemistry between them is completely lost. My vote is seven because there are some good points, mainly the filming of the romance of Anne and Jean-Louis, like a movie-in-a-movie.

Title (Brazil): "Um Homem. Um Mulher: 20 Anos Depois" ("A Man. A Woman: 20 Years Later")