Themes: Love Triangles, Crime Sprees, Opposites Attract
Main Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Michel Blanc, Miou-Miou, Bruno Cremer, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Caroline Sihol
Release Year: 1986
Country: FR
Run Time: 84 minutes
Plot
Menage begins as a comedy of sorts, but be warned: it develops into a very dark, very confusing probe into the seamier aspects of Parisian life. Gerard Depardieu plays a crude but charismatic thief, whose own gayness does not prevent his commiserating with those of the opposite sex. Miou-Miou and Michel Blanc are young, impoverished lovers who fall under Depardieu's influence. He gains their confidence by introducing them to kinky sex, then sucks them into a vortex of crime. Director Bertrand Blier, who in most of his films has explored the awesome power (rather than pleasure) of sex, nearly outdoes himself in Menage (aka Tenue de Soiree). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Considered somewhat daring in 1986, Tenue de Soiree's subject matter -- a thief who seduces both a husband and wife and then steals the husband away from the wife -- is not as surprising today, which lessens the film's impact somewhat. As with many of director/writer Bertrand Blier's films, Tenue deals with male-male relationships vs. male-female relationships, coming down decidedly on the side of the former. Blier's particular world view will not be shared by all, especially in its specifics, but in Tenue, Blier's personal commitment to it informs the picture with power. Yet despite all this, Tenue is ultimately a buoyant comedy; even when it gets serious, the jokes keep coming, although they get more disturbing as the film goes on. Blier is helped immensely by his irreplaceable trio of stars. As the lone female, Miou-Miou has the most difficult part, playing a woman who is written as rather shrewish and imbuing her with enough dimension to make her a strong, realized person. Michel Blanc is a treat as the milquetoast husband, seemingly good natured and bland but actually more interesting than that. And Gerard Depardieu has a grand time as the flamboyant master manipulator with a penchant for tiger stripe briefs. Though some will find the premise and attitude of the film difficult to take, for those who can tune into its wave, it's a witty little treat. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jean-François Stévenin - Man in Bed with Wife; Mylène Demongeot - Woman in Bed with Husband; Michel Creton - Pedro; Jean-Yves Berteloot - Man in Night Club; Michel Pilorge; Michel Such; Maurice Travail - Monique's client; Moiu-Moiu - Monique
Credit
Michele Cerf - Costume Designer, Bertrand Blier - Director, Claudine Merlin - Editor, Serge Gainsbourg - Composer (Music Score), Michel Deruelle - Makeup, Joel Lavau - Makeup, Théo Meurisse - Production Designer, Jean Penzer - Cinematographer, René Cleitman - Producer, Philippe Dussart - Producer, Théo Meurisse - Set Designer, Bernard Bats - Sound/Sound Designer, Dominique Hennequin - Sound/Sound Designer, Bertrand Blier - Screenwriter, Michel Choquet - Production Director, Annie Maurel - Script Supervisor, Luc Goldenberg - Assistant Director, Bertrand Arthuys - Assistant Director
