Even if given the chance to remake his iconic, romantic film A Man and a Woman, acclaimed director and screenwriter Claude Lelouch wouldn’t change a thing.
The 1966 film, which catapulted Lelouch to international fame, not only won two Oscars — for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay — but also set a record for a 65-week run at a Paris theater. In Los Angeles, the film played for over two years at the Plaza Theatre in Westwood.
A Man and a Woman tells the timeless story of a widower and a widow who rediscover love. The film’s unforgettable soundtrack remains one of its most beloved aspects.
In an interview at New York’s Film Forum, Lelouch, now 87, reflected on his career, offering insight into his past work. He acknowledged that, while the themes of love in A Man and a Woman remain unchanged, some dialogues could be updated by today’s standards. For example, the male protagonist tells the female lead that she’s too beautiful to have serious conversations.
“Beauty can overpower everything,” said Lelouch, though he added, “Today, I would phrase it differently. But in all my films, I’ve expressed love for women. My life has been shaped by them — from my mother to my current wife.”
Lelouch, both reserved and passionate, visited New York to celebrate the restored version of A Man and a Woman, showcase a retrospective of his films, and premiere his 51st film, The Final Coup, in the United States.
Known for intense love stories, complex characters, and a unique aesthetic, Lelouch’s films often incorporate music, dance, and surreal elements. Flashbacks might show real events, stream-of-consciousness imagery, or dream-like sequences. Early scenes in his films often serve to underscore themes, sometimes with a humorous twist.
The retrospective also includes Goodbye, My Love (1973), Now My Love (1974), The Cats and the Mice (1975), Les Misérables (1995), and We, the Others (1981), featuring a star-studded cast including Géraldine Chaplin and James Caan.
Lelouch’s films often touch on WWII, the Holocaust, and Jewish themes, topics that are deeply personal to him. His father was a French-Algerian Jew, and his mother, a Catholic, converted to Judaism so that Lelouch could be raised as a Jew.
In his youth, Lelouch’s mother and son survived the Nazi occupation of France by hiding in various cinemas. This experience inspired him to pursue filmmaking.
“I fell in love with cinema,” he recalled. “It was my caretaker. I was rebellious as a child, but cinema calmed me. I quickly realized that the people on screen were like us, but braver, more charming, and smarter. I wanted to be with them. Filmmaking was natural to me. I started making amateur films when I was 7 or 8, and it became my only professional pursuit.”
After WWII, Lelouch’s father gave him a camera. He used it to capture real-life events, including life in the Soviet Union. In the 1950s, while serving in the French military film division, Lelouch made over 100 films.
When asked about his artistic influences, Lelouch half-jokingly mentioned nearly everyone, from Charlie Chaplin to Russian director Mikhail Kalatozov.
“We had Snow White and Renoir’s Grand Illusion when I was born,” he said. “During the war, I only saw French and German films, mostly comedies. After the liberation, I watched American films. I learned from everyone and then created my own vision, a positive one.”
Lelouch added, “We live in a negative world, with bad news dominating. I focus on good news. I’m grateful to those who said ‘no’ to me because they led me to those who said ‘yes.’ Everything that hurt me ultimately benefited me. In the end, bad things bring good things.”
Despite his optimistic view, Lelouch acknowledged that we are at a turning point in history, where the world seems on the edge of both progress and destruction.
“Look at history,” he said. “It’s built on a mountain of terror. Today’s world is incredible. We have the tools to create a new world or accelerate the end of the world. It’s never been more suspenseful.”
Lelouch sees his films as an extension of his life’s observations. “I’m a reporter of life,” he said. “Though my characters are fewer than those in real life, I shoot what I love. I love love. I love life, even as I witness today’s wonders.”
His journey, especially his vivid experiences during the war, has provided rich material for his films. In Les Uns et Les Autres, he tells the story of four musical families (from Germany, France, America, and Russia) whose lives span different time periods and locations, offering a chance to explore the horrors of war, survival instincts, and the unpredictability of fate.
One sequence in the film dramatizes a real-life event where Gestapo soldiers search a French classroom for Jewish children. The tension is heightened when a soldier asks a boy to recite a passage from the New Testament, after a teacher explains that the boy underwent circumcision for health reasons.
Lelouch’s complex ethnic background remains central to his identity. “My mother became Jewish, but still went to church,” he explained. “I’ve attended both synagogues and churches. I love both priests and rabbis. They gave me the best advice in life — a middle ground. I believe truth lies between what they both believe. I practice both religions. They complement each other.”
Lelouch also touched on a challenging question: Should artists be separated from their personal actions and politics? He reflected on a character inspired by conductor Herbert von Karajan, a Nazi sympathizer, who struggles with his post-war reputation. “I have complex feelings,” Lelouch admitted. “Artists have flaws. We all do. It’s hard to separate the artist from their judgments. No one is free from mistakes. As I age, I’ve become more tolerant. I forgive everyone now. Forgiveness is the nobility of wisdom.”
Forgiveness is at the heart of Lelouch’s latest film, The Final Coup, which follows a lost lawyer searching for meaning and redemption. “This film is a logical extension of my observations,” he said. “Today’s world is full of exhaustion. People have never felt more uncomfortable with their situation. That’s why I made this film.”
He added, “But it’s still a story told from a positive perspective. If a person is brave enough, they can still start over. It’s a story about a man who wants to restart his life. I’d love to be 20 again with the wisdom I have at 87, but that’s impossible.”
Lelouch’s films, distributed by Rialto Pictures, will be shown at the Film Forum until April 17 and will later screen at the Laemmle theaters in Los Angeles.
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