After working as an assistant director in the 1950s, Claude Sautet emerged out of the New Wave to become one of the most influential French directors of the 1970s, largely as a result of his memorable films starring the internationally-famous actress Romy Schneider, whose own career was revived through their collaborations.

In Les Choses de la vie (1970) and César et Rosalie (1972) – featuring Schneider paired with leading men Michel Piccoli and Yves Montand respectfully – Sautet creates, along with screenwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie and cinematographer Jean Boffety, two haunting yet romantic films that embody the struggles and privileges of the rising middle class in late-20th century France.

Les Choses De La Vie (1970)

Pierre (Michel Piccoli) is involved in a terrible car accident. Fatally injured, he sees his life pass before his eyes. Only now does he realize the importance of all the details of existence, the pleasures and sorrows that together makeup life’s happiness. Romy Schneider is his demanding mistress, and Lea Massari his ex-wife in this 1969 Claude Sautet feature.

At the heart of both of the films in this set, there are men who so desperately want to love the women in their lives but are too self-destructive and childish to get out of the way of their own happiness. Les Choses De La Vie skews more toward the tragic side of the scale as we take a closer look at the events that led to Pierre (Michel Piccoli) getting into an incredibly visceral car crash. As this is a French film, there is no real stigma put upon Pierre who is building a life with his mistress while his estranged wife carries on with her own life after being cast aside. These are all adults who are leading with their passions, wherever that may lead them. The film does not treat Schneider’s mistress Hélène as any kind of homewrecker; she is Pierre’s true love, but he himself has a misguided ambivalence that hinders his ability to engage in a healthy relationship. In a refreshing change of pace for this time period in this culture, the man is portrayed as the irrational source of any problems. It is the clarity gained through his tragedy that gives the movie its emotional gut punch. 

From the opening moments of the film, we see the end result of the car crash before we work our way back. The editing and narrative structure employed in this film is some of the strongest I have seen in some time. The build-up to the crash is so perfectly paced that you can cut the dramatic tension with a knife, even knowing how it ends up. Michel Piccoli is simply incredible as the pig-headed Pierre, who you root for even when you witness how he is the cause of his own distress. Romy Schneider might not always be a physical presence on screen, but the spirit of her performance lingers throughout every moment with Pierre. Schneider is known for her beauty and charm, and she plays that up the highest degree here. The film does not resort to any cheap ploys to play up the sentiment in the story. Every emotional moment is earned by the end. Sautet is truly a maestro when it comes to establishing emotional stakes within an enthralling narrative. 

Cesar Et Rosalie (1972)

Cesar and Rosalie (Romy Schneider) live a comfortable life together until David, Rosalie’s old flame, returns and ignites Cesar’s jealousy and Rosalie’s indecision. Unexpectedly, it is Rosalie who is in the way of Cesar and David’s new friendship.

While Cesar Et Rosalie may not have the raw emotional tragedy of Les Choses De La Vie, it once again shines a light on the base irrationality of men and how easy it is for them to ruin a good thing. Cesar (Yves Montand) is a borderline gangster in the unexpectedly rough-hewn business of being a scrap merchant. Cesar is used to getting what he wants, which includes the women in his life. He has a pulsing intensity underneath him that makes him a magnetic figure, but it is not a mood in which you would want to spend your life. He loves and has the love of Rosalie (Romy Schneider), but his display of possessiveness after her encounter with an old boyfriend drives her to become the wandering soul that he feared she would become. Cesar has unchecked vanity and a penchant for treating Rosalie like property. Unfortunately for Cesar, Rosalie has enough sense of self to rebuke the notion of being anyone’s possession. 

Sautet is not interested in playing out the typical love triangle between these three individuals. Sure, David (Sami Frey) would be more than happy to rekindle a relationship with Rosalie, but a simple swap in partners is not the easy solution for the film. Schneider is everything in her role of Rosalie, a stunning woman who is lost and is only more so with every interaction with the men in her life. For these men, though, she is not truly the centerpiece of the film’s activities. Rosalie is just a stand-in “prize” at the center of a competition of insecurity. The manner in which Sautet shows how out of sorts the men in the film get over their “love” of Rosalie is given a fitting conclusion at the end of the journey. This particular film is not as narratively stylized as the previous one, but it offers a dynamic, and often frustrating, look at misguided affairs of the heart. 

Video Quality

Two Films By Claude Sautet Starring Romy Schneider brings these films to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Both of these films offer generally the same level of quality transfer-wise, so they will be discussed as a pair with any noticeable differences pointed out. These are both listed as having a new digital restoration, but the exact details of what that entails is unclear. The presentation is not pristine, but overall it is a very solid presentation for films that are nearly fifty years old. There are the occasional speckles from print damage, but overall clarity and detail is more than admirable. The picture tends to run a bit soft in certain shots, but colors have a nice saturation and vibrancy that stand out on the screen. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable. Black levels hold up relatively well, but they verge more the hazy side with occasional crush present. The video quality is not a five star effort, but it is a solid three-and-a-half affair that should please fans of these films.

Audio Quality

These Blu-Ray discs come with LPCM 2.0 mono tracks in the original French with optional English subtitles. Composer Philippe Sarde provides a really lovely score for each film that sounds great throughout. This serves as an essential part of the experience, as it takes you deeper into the deep emotions of the characters. The track maintains a good balance between the dialogue and other competing environmental sounds so that everything comes through clearly. Les Choses De La Vie has more opportunity to showcase powerful sound effects thanks to the car crash at the center of the narrative. All of these mechanical and motorized sounds present as natural to the world. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear or sync issues. Film Movement Classics has given these films the audio presentation they deserve.

Special Features

This Blu-Ray set includes a multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Talk, Smoke, Love – Claude Sautet’s Enduring Romance With Romance” by author David N. Meyer. The essay provides a great amount of cinematic context to the film, analyzes themes and plot developments, and gives some background on the life of Schneider. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

Les Choses De La Vie

• Symphonie Metallique: A 48-minute documentary which details the journey to creating the film featuring interviews with many of the crew members including Jean-Claude Sussfeld, Philippe Sarde, Jacqueline Thiedot, Geneviève Cortier, and Jean-Loup Dabodie. The participants offer some insights into the early career of Sautet, details put into the set decoration, similarities to real life personal dynamics, staging the car crash and much more. This is very enlightening on all fronts. 

Cesar Et Rosalie

• Serenade For Three: A 30-minute documentary that tackles this film in a similar manner as the previous one with many of the same participants. They talk about what the project looked like before Sautet came on board, the acting talent on display, the ambiguous ending of the film and more. 

Final Thoughts

The films in this set represent two outstanding examples of the incredibly fruitful professional relationship between Claude Sautet and Romy Schneider. They are both stories of men ill-equipped to properly love a woman the way in which they deserved to be loved. If you have never had the pleasure of watching Romy Schneider light up a screen, you are in for a wonderful treat. Film Movement Classics has brought Les Choses De La Vie and Cesar Et Rosalie to Blu-Ray with very good A/V presentations and worthwhile documentaries. If you are someone who typically responds to French cinema, it is very likely you will find something to appreciate here. Recommended 

Two Films By Claude Sautet Starring Romy Schneider is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Movement Classics has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

Dillon Gonzales

Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.