Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

gavin6942 In spring 1976, a 19-year-old beauty, her German-born mother, and her crippled father move to the town of a firefighter nicknamed Pin-Pon. Everyone notices the provocative Eliane. She singles out Pin-Pon and soon is crying on his shoulder (she's myopic and hates her reputation as a dunce and as easy); she moves in with him, knits baby clothes, and plans their wedding. Is this love or some kind of plot? There is so much going on in this film. Initially, it appears to be from the perspective of Pin-Pon and his obsession with a woman who may be the town bicycle. But we only hear his thoughts some of the time. In other moments, we get Eliane's thoughts (as well as memories), and other people take certain scenes as the narrator, too. This only adds to the layer of mystery about what is all going on.One thing that makes this film very French and not very American is the excessive nudity. Isabelle Adjani spends a fair amount of time in various stages of undress. This is never really necessary, but really says more about French attitudes than anything else. I do not feel like it was meant to be exploitative or sensational.

Sindre Kaspersen French actor, screenwriter and director Jean Becker's fifth feature film is an adaptation of a novel from 1977 by French director, screenwriter and author Sébastien Raprisot (1931-2003) who wrote the screenplay for the film. It premiered In competition at the 36th Cannes International Film Festival in 1983, was shot on various locations in France and is a French production which was produced by producer Christine Beytout. It tells the story about a flirtatious and ambiguous nineteen-year-old woman named Eliane Wieck who one hot summer returns to her hometown in provincial France with her German mother and handicapped father. Eliane's provocative behaviour makes everyone in town notice her and causes suspiciousness amongst the inhabitants, but one day she is approached by a nice local car mechanic named Fiorimonti who immediately falls in love with her, and a relationship begins to evolve.Finely and engagingly directed by French filmmaker Jean Becker, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated by Alain Souchon and mostly from his and the female protagonist's viewpoints, draws an intriguing and multifaceted portrayal of a traumatized and truth-seeking young woman who puts on a facade, acting like a poorly raised child, in order to find the truth about her past. While notable for it's warm and bright countryside milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by cinematographer Etienne Becker, production design by production designer Jean-Claude Gallouin and costume design by costume designer Therese Ripaud, this character-driven story about family relations, vengeance and love, depicts a dark study of character and contains a cryptic and efficient score by French composer Georges Delerue. This thoroughly written thriller and plot-twisting psychological drama from the early 1980s where a French stranger makes her presence known, is impelled and reinforced by it's engaging literary narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, strong contrasts, impending atmosphere, French actress Isabelle Adjani's prominent acting performance as a bewitching femme fatale in a very complicated role and the fine acting performances by French actor Alain Souchon and French actress Suzanne Flon (1918-2005). An unsettling and diversely romantic mystery which gained the award for Best Actress Isabelle Adjani, Best Supporting actress Suzanne Flon, Best Editing and Best Writing - Adaptation at the 9th César Awards in 1984 and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 36th Cannes Film Festival in 1983.

Nicholas Rhodes Quite unique in its genre, this film tells the tale of a young lady seeking to avenge the rape of her mother and therefore her own origins. It all takes place around Carpentras, in the Vaucluse departement in Southern France. In the original book, the action takes place elsewhere but director Jean Becker thought that Vaucluse would provide better surroundings for the script. A mixture of eroticism and suspense in a hot summery atmosphere. It seems the action is situated in 1976 when the young Elaine is 20 years old. Adjani, a beautiful actress of pied-noir origin plays the principal role and Alain Souchon, well-known French Singer plays the role of the man who becomes her husband. Elaine although very sexy is mentally unstable and is out to catch those who raped her mother in the village twenty or so years previously.I find the film rather tedious at times, other moments, such as the wedding scene where they dance to the music of "Trois Petites Notes de Musique" sung by Yves Montand are pure joy. One of my favourite tunes, the "Roses of Picardy", an old english WW1 tune becomes the leitmotiv of the film as this was playing on the old piano when Elaine's Mother was raped. The end of the film is rather disappointing and leaves things hanging in the air.Elaine is in a mental institution, and Pin-pon (Alain Souchon) who thinks he's discoverd the rapists goes out to avenge them but targets the wrong men ...........we don't learn what happends after. No doubt Jean Becker wanted the audience to be left holding their breath !Picture quality is reasonable for the early eighties but contours are ill-defined and contrast too high. The DVD is available in France for around 15 dollars/euros but TF1 video obstinately refuses to but any subtitles, even French ones on it. So unless you speak fluent French, no chance of understanding the dialogues.

swensonb I won't try to describe the plot, others can do that better than I. I just want to encourage others to watch this amazing movie. In France, the movie received a great reception, but in the US it appears to have been largely ignored. I keep hoping this movie will be revived, but it has not found a champion yet. If you liked Manon of the Spring, you will love One Deadly Summer!