The Soft Skin review
By
Zamy from London
- 9
- 0
10th August 2004
This film bombed on first release as critics saw a cliched story of adultory with an unsympathetic hero. For me viewing the film now it seems an absolute gem. Truffaut and his collaborators excel in all departments: the black and white photography of Raoul Coutard is particularly splendid. OK, so the hero, Pierre is completely buttoned up and repressed but that is precisely the point. And the wife, Franca, is more sexy than the mistress, Nicole (an exceptional performance from Francoise Dorleac). Again, it's this unusual tension that makes the whole story so uniquely satisfying: Pierre and Nicole are more like brother and sister than lovers. And what an amazing view of 1960's Europe and especially Paris: the wacky cars, the men all in suits and the women with bad hairdos. Loved it.
