Are you interested in the matter?
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Are you interested in the matter? |
| Original title | Vous intéressez-vous à la chose? |
| Country of production | France , Germany |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1974 |
| length | 80 (French version), 83 (German version) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jacques Baratier |
| script |
Claude Eymouche Stéphane Jourat Jean-Michel Ribes Jacques Baratier |
| production |
Francis Cosne Raymond Eger |
| music | Yani Spanos |
| camera | Daniel Gaudry |
| cut | Hélène Plemiannikov |
| occupation | |
| |
Are you interested in the matter? is a Franco-German erotic comedy, shot in the summer of 1973 and premiered on April 24, 1974, about the "first time" with Muriel Catala in a leading role that is archetypal for her short career. The story, directed by Jacques Baratier , is based on the novel Et le Bel Aujourd'hui by Claude Eymouche , who also worked on the script. The film opened in Germany on April 18, 1975.
action
A rural villa in summer in the south of France. An extensive family spends the annual big holidays there in July. These include the somewhat stiff and conservative doctor Bernard and his completely opposite, modern and libertine sister Lise, an architect, but also the adolescent Pierre and his brother Julien, who both have their eye on 15-year-old Dina. This is a precocious, red-haired beauty with green eyes who is very well aware of her physical charms. "She is my cousin and my first great love," as Pierre tells off-screen at the beginning of the film.
Pierre writes all his wishes, dreams and desires in his diary. The notes are primarily determined by his desire for Dina. She flirts uncontrollably with both boys, but just waits for the shy and reserved Pierre to finally dare to take cover. Julien, on the other hand, is much more daring; he never misses an opportunity to hit Dina, but is just as loudmouthed as ultimately clumsy.
When Julien digs out Pierre's diary, he fetches Dina and reads it to her with a mockery in his voice. Dina takes the book from him and reads Pierre's poetic verses that finally make it clear to her how much Pierre is in love with her. She likes his lines, and while she is distracted Julien has nothing else in mind than to seize the moment of crackling verbal eroticism and touch Dina's breasts for the first time. She is turned off by his tasteless remarks and his clumsy manner and slaps him in the face. Julien leaves the room furiously, while Dina now reads the entire diary and indulges in her erotic fantasies.
On the way home from Lise and Pierre from a neighboring farm, Lise, the aunt of the two boys, takes the opportunity to introduce the sexually inexperienced Pierre a little to love and seduces him in a fig field. She wants to teach him how to behave in the case of Dina. Both sleep together, and Pierre promptly enters this “major event” in his diary. When Dina reads about it, she is shocked. Lise joins them and reacts with presence of mind. She makes it clear to Dina that so far Pierre has only written down his dreams in his diary. But none of this has happened so far, Lise reassures Dina ... and the same applies to the alleged sexual intercourse that Pierre claims to have had with her.
Dina celebrates her 16th birthday. She dances with Pierre and they kiss intensely for the first time. Meanwhile, Julien and his father Bernard argue, and Julien runs away furiously. After the party, Pierre finally takes his heart and goes in the dark of the night to the scantily clad Dina, who was just waiting for him. Pierre tears off the wafer-thin negligee from her and carries the completely naked girl to the bed. Then he begins to caress her everywhere and they sleep together.
The phone rings that same night. Julien's turn. Lise drives off in her car to take care of him. While driving the car, he tells her what happened after he fled from his father, Lise's brother. Both spend the rest of the night together. The next morning he and Lise and Dina and Pierre wake up lying in each other's arms. A new summer day has started.
Production notes
The title, at the same time the last line of dialogue in Are you interested in the matter? , alludes to the ubiquitous sex that dominates the film.
While the boy in love with Dina is called Pierre in the German dubbed version, his name is Patrick in the French version.
Muriel Catala has been subscribed to nymph, lolita and seductress roles since her film debut in 1970. In this film as well as in other films before and after Are you interested in the matter? She appeared several times topless or (in the bed scene with Didier Haudepin) completely naked. Her youthful appearance made her film age 15 and 16 years believable; at the time of shooting in 1973 she was already 21 years old.
Also, Nathalie Delon , ex-wife of Alain Delon , as well known from various German Soft sex movies Austrian Christine Schuberth had several nude scenes.
From the German side was the production company Rapid-film Schoolgirl Report -Produzenten Wolf C. Hartwig on Are you interested in the matter? involved. Hartwig's long-time production manager Ludwig Spitaler took care of the dialogues of the German-speaking actors (for the script of the German version).
The Austrian Peter Weissflog , later a well-known television film director, was one of three assistant directors.
In the same decade, film editor Hélène Plemiannikov also edited the last three works by Luis Buñuel : The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie , The Specter of Freedom and This Obscure Object of Desire
The cameraman's assistant, François About , who is at Are you interested in the matter? At the beginning of his film career, he has since photographed a wealth of sex and hardcore porn films, some of which he also directed.
The FSK only released the film from the age of 18, although no hardcore sex was shown. The possible reason for this could have been a short and even only delicately indicated masturbation scene with a close-up of a penis head.
The film was awarded internationally with an X rating ("only for adults") under the title First Time With Feeling . Under this title, for example, it ran very successfully from October 31, 1974 (until 1975) at the Classic, Piccadilly in London .
criticism
The film's large dictionary of persons called Are you interested in the matter? a "pubertal erotic flick"
In the Handbook Films 1971-76 you can read about the film: "A romantic summer mood, primitive comedy and generational contrasts as trimmings for a completely permissive sexual introduction. Developmental psychology does not come into play here."
The Lexicon of International Films wrote about Are you interested in the matter? : "A kind of educational film that does not master its material either in terms of script or direction."
Individual evidence
- ^ John Williams (ed.): The Films of 1975, p. 7. BCW Publishing Limited, London 1976
- ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 2: C - F. John Paddy Carstairs - Peter Fritz. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 339.
- ^ Films 1971-76, Handbook 9, Cologne 1977, page 124.
- ↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films Volume 3, p. 1465. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987.