Franz

Belgium, France

1971

91 Min

Color

French

Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
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SCR Jacques Brel, Paul Andréota

DP Christian Garnier, Alain Levent, Armand Marco

CAST Jacques Brel, Barbara, Danièle Evenou, Fernand Fabre, Louis Navarre

ED Marie-Thérèse Pernet, Jacqueline Thiédot, Denise Vindevogel

MUSIC Jacques Brel, François Rauber

SOUND Maurice Dagonneau, René Longuet

Synopsis

In a French seaside town, at a boarding house for civil servants recovering from surgery and maladies, the six male residents’ lives change dramatically when two women arrive: Catherine, lively, sexually liberated, willing to kiss, dance, and sleep with the men, and Leonie, reserved, formal, conservative. Leonie finds herself attracted to Leon, a Belgian who was a mercenary in Katanga in 1964, wounded and carrying psychological scars as well. The other men continually play practical jokes on Leon, some of them cruel. As Leon courts Leonie, his horrid mother brings him emotional distress as do his memories of war. Can the two of them get past these obstacles?

Director

Jacques Brel

singer, songwriter, actor, and the director of two films, Jacques Brel was an international star. As a musician, the native of Brussels was known for writing poetic songs protesting the power of the bourgeoisie and for those paying tribute to his beloved Belgium. In 1966, Brel created his famed stage show, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. That same year, Brel ended his singing career and became an actor. He made his directorial debut in 1972 with Franz, a serio-comic love story in which he also starred. The film received critical praise, but was a box-office failure. The following year, Brel directed Le Far West (1973), a lighthearted portrait of those seeking to create the Old West in modern America. Brel’s portrayal of Native Americans caused controversy and this film also did poorly. Though he continued his acting career through the mid-’70s, he never directed again. —allmovie guide