Emitting strong sensuality, the seductively alluring Eliane Wieck arrives with her demure German mother and her disabled father in a rural southern French town. She is wearing a frilled dress and carrying a small suitcase. Pin-Pon is a local car mechanic and volunteer firefighter. He instantly falls for the charms of the mysterious newcomer!! Soon after their meeting, they get married. Was it love at first sight for Eliane too or just for Pin-Pon? What links her enigmatic presence to the family's old and dust-covered mechanical piano in the barn? It seems that the stage is set but what is it that drives this cryptic young woman? Is it curiosity or could it be something possibly far more sinister?
The setting is in a small village in the south of France. It is a place filled with colorful characters and likely suspects. It's also filled with various people's memories. The director insists on showing the audience in more detail than is always necessary? The plot is less complicated than devious. The earnest young mechanic Pin-Pon marries Elaine and their marriage does not go well emotionally? A deaf elderly woman is one of the few people in the village who understands the multitude of problems Elaine is carrying around with her. 4* (I really liked this movie)
133 min, Drama directed by Jean Becker and written by Sebastien Japrisot (adaptation) with Isabelle Adjani, Alain Souchon, Suzanne Flon, Jenny Cleve, Maria Machado, Evelyne Didi, Jean Gaven, Francois Cluzet, Manuel Gelin, Roger Carel, Michel Galabru, Marie-Pierre Casey, Cecile Vassort, Edith Scob.
Note: Imdb 7.3* out of 10* with 4307 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 60% with 5 critic reviews, 77% audience scores with 500+ ratings, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 235 reviews, Slant Magazine 3 1/2* Clayton Dillard, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5*.
Special Note: Isabelle Adjani turned down the part of Elle, then the role was offered to Valérie Kaprisky and she accepted. Later, after reading the book by Sébastien Japrisot, Isabelle Adjani changed her decision and she was again given the part. This is the second collaboration of Isabelle Adjani with Alain Souchon. Both actors also formed a couple in All Fired Up (1982) from French director Jean-Paul Rappeneau. Originally, this film was almost three hours long. The director was gently persuaded to trim forty minutes before the release.
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