Ein Affe im Winter (1962)

Ein Affe im Winter: Directed by Henri Verneuil. With Jean Gabin, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Suzanne Flon, Gabrielle Dorziat. Albert is an inn owner who vowed never to drink again if he and his wife survived the war. They did, and the reformed alcoholic keeps his vow. But times have changed and soon after the war, Albert comes in contact with Gabriel, a young man prone to heavy bouts with the bottle. Gabriel is conflicted over visiting his young daughter in a nearby school and in a moment of nostalgia, Albert takes off with him on one major binge — and havoc results.

“French films often focus on things that are really quite different from the English/American scene. Theyu0026#39;re a lot about dialog, attitude, and big(mouthed) iconic protagonists – often less about an obvious moral at the end. This film is neither really a comedy nor a drama, itu0026#39;s like that perfect nuance between the two and borrows from both in a very typically French kind of cynical/blasé way.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eInstead of a great big moral as most films around the world usually have which they culminate towards, this one has rather a theme that is omnipresent throughout the developments. Itu0026#39;s more like an ongoing element of both lead charactersu0026#39; conscience, or rather subconscious – as the synopsis states: the desire to travel. That irresistible urge to discover or rather rediscover a place exotic, festive and foreign; foreign to the boring old daily, routine life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs referenced in the first line of this review, French films are best when the dialog is best and this one has the right quality for the ambitions of the story and Gabin and Belmondo both do a very good job, Gabin especially as he seems to have been that very character at some point in his life, understands him so well. Such lines as (speaking to his wife, -paraphrasing): u0026quot;Suzanne tu nu0026#39;as que des qualités, mais tu mu0026#39;emmerdes !u0026quot; – so French in spirit, and a sentence so heavy with significance as it pertains to the sheltered, redundant gentrified u0026quot;realu0026quot; life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eInteresting, well acted out, very good dialog, very well paced and filled up: 7.5/10.nMy own criticism: perhaps the u0026quot;dream lifeu0026quot; is hinted at too much where the film settles for carrying out the events in the plot while not further exploring that strong element of abstract emotion that remains merely underlying and implied.”