A Few Hours of Sunlight

Plot

Based on a melancholy romance by Francoise Sagan, this film recounts the circumstances of a relationship from start to tragic finish. Among other things, it features an early film appearance by Gerard Depardieu in a small role. Gilles (Marc Porel) works for a news agency and has an American mistress. It is a good job, and his mistress is very pretty, but he feels depressed. He is unable to shake his melancholy and goes to visit his sister in the countryside. There, he meets a mature woman whose inner richness attracts him. They form a relationship which brings her back to Paris with him. She has cut all her ties to her old life in order to be with him and then discovers that her love for him is much greater than his for her, though he does not wish to be unkind. Indeed, he cannot conceal that he is bored with her. Devastated, and wishing to set him free, she commits suicide. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Review

A Few Hours of Sunlight wants to be an involving study of romance among the unsettled, an examination of hollow souls searching for meaning and fulfillment without ever knowing that that is what they are doing. Unfortunately, there's a large gap between what Sunlight wants to be and what it is: an ultimately boring romantic melodrama focusing on two people about whom it is very difficult to care. Certainly the main male character is a shallow, cynical type who is far too self-obsessed and self-interested to generate much interest in the viewer; the central female character is a bit more likeable, but she's also rather two dimensional and superficial. All of this would matter less if they had qualities -- a unique sense of humor, a passion for something, an obsession -- that made them come to life. But they are paper thin dolls and simply don't hold the viewer's attention. This isn't due to the performers. Marc Porel does very well as Gilles, and Claudine Auger is even better as Nathalie, but they aren't given enough to work with to make the film leap to life.Jacques Deray directs carefully, letting his camera languish on his subjects in an attempt to impart meaning to the proceedings, but it's all sleight of hand: there's just not much meat to the film. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Claudine Auger - Nathalie
• Marc Porel - Gilles
• Bernard Fresson - Jean
• Barbara Bach - Elvire

Nadine Alari - Gilda; André Falcon - Florent; Gérard Depardieu - Pierre

Credit

Francois de Lamothe - Art Director, Jacques Deray - Director, Henri Lanoë - Editor, Michel Legrand - Composer (Music Score), Jean Badal - Cinematographer, Jean-Claude Carrière - Screenwriter, Jacques Deray - Screenwriter, Francoise Sagan - Book Author

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