Le Voyage en douce

1980 film

4 January 1980 (1980-01-04)

Running time

98 minutesCountryFranceLanguageFrench

Le Voyage en douce is a 1980 French drama film directed by Michel Deville. The screenplay is shaped around 15 different sexual anecdotes, penned by 15 writers.^[1] The film stars Dominique Sanda and Geraldine Chaplin. It was entered into the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.^[2]

Plot

Disillusioned with the men in their lives, two friends, Hélène and Lucie, take a break to explore possible summer homes in the South of France. As the pair spend time together, they share sexual memories and fantasies and even enact some.^[1] Despite the pleasure of temporary freedom and companionship, they have to return to reality and its unresolved problems.

Cast

Dominique Sanda as Hélène
Geraldine Chaplin as Lucie
Jacques Zabor as Denis
Jean Crubelier as L'homme des maisons
Valerie Masterson as La cantatrice
Cécile Le Bailly as Marie
Jacqueline Parent as Mathilde
Jacques Pieiller as Pinson
Liliane Rovère as The Voice
Françoise Morhange as La grand-mère
Frédéric Andréi as Le jeune homme de l'hôtel
Christophe Malavoy as L'homme du train
André Marcon as L'homme du concert

Reception

Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the ambiguous nature of Hélène and Lucie's relationship; "its teasing is effective, thanks particularly to Miss Sanda, who is as beautiful and insolently alluring here as she has ever been. With timing that is constantly surprising, with a knowing sensuality just this side of brazeness, Miss Sanda is enough reason to see the movie. And she and Miss Chaplin share an abandon that is intricately balanced, and gracefully played." Maslin felt that the film was "finally aimless" but that it was still "seductive all the same."^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Maslin, Janet. The Screen: "Voyage en Douce," 2 Frenchwomen on a Journey, pp. 20. The New York Times. 9 April 1981. Retrieved on 30 July 2011
^ "IMDB.com: Awards for Le Voyage en douce". imdb.com. Retrieved 21 August 2010.