Nonureva
Really Surprised!
Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Michelle Ridley
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
annaelle-simonet
French movie lovers have known Resnais in a while now for his exquisite movies in the 50's-60's : Hiroshima mon amour, Muriel and his collaboration with German director Chris Marker; but also his more recent films like Mon Oncle d'Amérique, Pas sur la bouche and of course ON connaît la chanson. Another masterpiece according to me. Incredible acting and impressive mastering of both sound and image. The idea of having the actors sing well-known french songs out of the blue - but always corresponding to the situation - is fantastic and contributes to making On connaît la chanson a most entertaining movie. Besides that, Resnais develops a subtle meditation on the development of depression : all the characters have a nervous breakdown. The script, written by the talented Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnes Jaoui, also acting in the movie, builds in that way. In life like in nervous breakdowns, nothing is what it seems. As all the characters try to hide their uneasiness, Resnais takes pleasure in always showing us things and twisting them so as to make them turn out differently : you think you're going to see a historic movie about the German occupation of Paris, and there you have the Germand General singing "j'ai deux amours, mon pays et Paris" !! When Camille and Nicolas meet, you think they know each other well, and it turns out they can't put a name on each other's face. Marc (Lambert Wilson) has cold, Camille thinks he's been dumped. And so on... That plus the witty situations make On connait la chanson a masterpiece because it is both deep and entertaining. Only problem, if you are not familiar with the French musical culture you might miss out on much of the comical effects of the movie. Still, great movie, great fun, always a delight to watch.
robertsymonds
The films central theme, that of having characters break into lip-synced song and dance routines, is not original and indeed the film introduction acknowledges the debt to the UK playwright Dennis Potter. The plot of the film is enjoyable in a light hearted way and the characters well drawn and played. As a English speaker I assume that we lose something of the effect as the songs chosen are not familiar to us as no doubt they would be to a native French viewer. What does irritate slightly I found is the overuse of the "break into song". Potter, if my memory is correct, uses it far more sparingly with a few larger set pieces. At points in this film the characters are breaking into song so often that it feels as if the plot will be broken too much. Definitely worth watching though for the performances.
Mush-9
This film is funny, witty and most importantly it works both as a serious film and a homage to Dennis Potter. Great acting, wonderful songs and an undercurrent of wit. One of my favourite French Films of recent times.
emperor-4
This film, a tribute to Dennis Potter (pennies from heaven, the singing detective), is the best french comedy I've ever seen. Basically it's a typical well-made french film about relations, with great acting, set in Paris. But it's more than that: it's also a musical. Here are some reasons why I think it's a great movie. First, the chansons, play-backed by the actors, are brilliant. Imagine a Wehrmachtofficer lipsinging to an Edith-Piaf chanson (in the opening act). The best thing about the chansons, is the fact that they actually support the story, as they serve as moments of reflection and introspection for the players. Maybe it's the contrast between the extreme sentimentality and the 'serious' acting that makes this film so great. Go see it.
