Main Cast: Romy Schneider, Fabio Testi, Jacques Dutronc, Klaus Kinski, Claude Dauphin
Release Year: 1975
Country: FR/WG/IT
Run Time: 113 minutes
Plot
Freelance photographer Servais (Fabio Testi) meets luckless Nadine Chevalier (Romy Schneider) an aging, world-weary, would-be movie star who thus far has only been able to find work in cheap exploitation movies. Trying to win her affection, Servais borrows the money from his underworld employers to launch a theatrical production of Richard III starring Nadine as Lady Anne. Though cold and skeptical at first, Nadine gradually falls in love with Servais, and eventually finds herself torn between him and her husband Jacques (Jacques Dutronc), to whom she feels morally obligated. Set in a world of losers and futile talents, this dark and moody drama depicts love as the only source of salvation. Memorable performances and skillful direction make this film a powerful experience. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
Review
One of the more enduring efforts from iconoclastic director Andrzej Zulawski, this hallucinatory psychological romance helped establish the moods, themes, and techniques that would inform the director's work through the 1980s and 1990s. Somewhere between the hip, laconic spectatorship of Blow-Up-era Michelangelo Antonioni and the urgent, operatic work of Roman Polanski, L'Important revolves around a disaffected photographer (Fabio Testi) and the struggling actress (Romy Schneider) with whom he becomes obsessed, to the consternation of her jester-like husband (Jacques Dutronc). Zulawski seems less interested in the film's skeletal narrative than in the wildly modulated emotions the story can evince from his cast: His approach results in performances memorable for their subtlety (Dutronc) as well as for their histrionic bravado (Klaus Kinski, in a small but telling role). As with much of the director's work, L'Important met with derision from critics who misinterpreted his seemingly scattershot technique; love it or hate it, Zulawski clearly intends to forge a new cinematic language. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Roger Blin - Servais' Father; Michel Robin - Lapade; Guy Mairesse - Messala; Gabrielle Doulcet - Madame Mazelli; Paul Bisciglia; Jacques Boudet; Claude Legros; Nicoletta Machiavelli; Olga Valery; Michel Such; Katia Tchenko; Sylvain; Kira Potonie - Messala's wife
Credit
Catherine Leterrier - Costume Designer, Andrzej Zulawski - Director, Christiane Lack - Editor, Georges Delerue - Composer (Music Score), Ricardo Aronovich - Cinematographer, Albina de Boisrouvray - Producer, Christopher Frank - Screenwriter, Andrzej Zulawski - Screenwriter, Christopher Frank - Book Author
L'important c'est d'aimer was the breakthrough movie in France for Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski. It tells the story of a passionate love relationship between Nadine Chevalier, a B-List actress (Schneider) and Servais Mont, a photographer (Testi) in the violent and unforgiving French show biz.
In 1974, Żuławski coadapted and directed this movie, based on the novel by Christopher Frank La nuit américaine (no relation with the François Truffautmovie). The success in France was such - it was featuring very popular actress Romy Schneider and French singer Jacques Dutronc - that it allowed Żuławski to come back to Poland.
