One man, two apartments, a woman, a mistress, a maid. The man divides his time between the apartment in which he lives with his wife, the apartment in which he sees his mistress and his club. With such complex domestic arrangements, he robs from one to give to the other. To one, he offers nothing but a round of Scrabble played in silence, to the other, romantic words and fresh flowers every day… –commeaucinema.com
French leading man Michel Piccoli spent most of his time from 1945 through 1955 on the French stage, primarily with Theatre Babylone and the Reynauld-Barrault Company. He enjoyed nominal film stardom from 1955 onward, though it was not until 1961’s Le Doulos that he truly became “box office,” specializing in worldly, cynical roles. Like Hollywood’s Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Gary Cooper, Piccoli was possessed of that rare gift of being able to adapt himself to virtually any kind of material without altering his essential screen persona. And like those aforementioned actors, Piccoli’s talents suited the prerequisites of a wide variety of directors: not many contemporary performers can claim to have worked with Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, Costa-Gavras, Luis Bunuel, and Louis Malle. Piccoli’s acting awards include a Cannes Festival prize for 1979’s Salto nel Vuoto and a 1982 Berlin Festival honor for Une Etrange Affaire. In 1991, Piccoli once again won international acclaim… read more
