Despite enormous popularity elsewhere in Europe, the writing of British playwright Alan Ayckbourn has rarely been adapted for cinema in the Anglophone world (the less said about Michael Winner’s violation of A Chorus of Disapproval the better), with the exception of a few television plays, only one of which (the sparkling Norman Conquests) has made it to DVD. Fortunately veteran director Alain Resnais (Hiroshima Mon Amour, Last Year in Marienbad) has recently discovered the writer’s witty dissections of the chattering classes, and for the second time has adopted Ayckbourn as his source writer of choice (after the underrated Smoking/No Smoking in 1993). It is his best, most intriguing film since On Connaît la Chanson, and deservedly won him the Best Director award at Venice earlier this year.
Taking a similar format to Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, wherein a number of narratives overlap and the numerous characters move from one plot strand to another, the lives of an estate agent, his younger sister, his religious secretary, a feuding couple and a bartender are delineated with pathos, sensitivity and wit. Although the tone is at times melancholic - all the characters seek company and intimacy, with varying degrees of success - there are some real moments of warmth, such as the raucously drunken yet tender first date between two of the protagonists. Resnais flirts with alienation throughout - in one of the most beautiful moments of the year, snow falls through a kitchen ceiling as the secretary and the bartender suddenly connect.
Ayckbourn’s trademark wit infuses the script, such as the choice insults of the barman’s seriously ill father or the cheesy religious video tapes to which the secretary is devoted. Yet it is the performances that really lift Private Fears… into a different league. Laura Morante won an acting award at Venice for her disappointed, increasingly embittered wife, whilst the eyes of Pierre Arditi, the dejected barman who impotently observes other romances blossom and wilt around him, convey a lifetime of sadness. The complex characters and unexpected revelations - as if life and love could be anything but unpredictable - touch at a real humanity lacking in so much contemporary cinema.
Based on the play by Alan Ayckbourn, this witty French romance follows six people, all looking for love. It is Resnais' best, most intriguing film since On Connaît la Chanson, and deservedly won him the Best Director award at Venice earlier this year.
Taking a similar format to Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, wherein a number of narratives overlap and the numerous characters move from one plot strand to another, the lives of an estate agent, his younger sister, his religious secretary, a feuding couple and a bartender are delineated with pathos, sensitivity and wit, and with a real humanity lacking in so much contemporary cinema.
Ayckbourn’s trademark wit infuses the script, yet it is the performances that really lift Private Fears… into a different league. Laura Morante won an acting award at Venice for her disappointed, increasingly embittered wife, whilst the eyes of Pierre Arditi, the dejected barman who impotently observes other romances blossom and wilt around him, convey a lifetime of sadness.
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Private Fears in Public Places (AKA Coeurs)
