Written and Directed by Woody Allen: His 50th
With, as luck would have it:
Lou de Laâge as Fanny Fournier
Valérie Lemercier as Camille Moreau
Melvil Poupaud as Jean Fournier,Niels Schneider as Alain Aubert
(With French subtitles)
The almighty was supposed to keep mortals in line by threat of divine punishment in a promised afterlife. At least those among us who subscribed to such notions; however, a clever few reasons they could break the rules society pretends to live by and rewards would come their way. Break the commandments and no lightning bolt would smite them, no booming baritone voice in the clouds would condemn.
In Crimes and Misdemeanors, a wealthy doctor commits adultery, embezzles money and has an inconvenient mistress murdered. Match Point sees a young man on is way up in society brutally murder a young woman he used and discarded when she threatened his way to the top. Crime in these two Woody Allen films was a way to the good life. No guilt or punishment. No remorse.
In Coup de Chance Fanny Fournier is the trophy wife of a much older man, Jean, who is wealthy by “making rich people even richer”. There is an underlying menace to his affable manner that seems to say, don’t cross me. A business partner once ran afoul of Jean and disappeared. Jean was lucky.
Fanny connects with a high school classmate one day. Alain Aubert confesses to a youthful crush that has developed into something more and the two begin an affair. Alain is lucky but his luck cannot hold. Wealth and remorseless power oppose his happiness.
Once Jean has identified the threat, he arranges for Alain’s disappearance in the same manner as the hapless business partner. For Jean it is a simple mathematical equation.
Fanny thinks Alain has abandoned her, but her mother Camille, cleverer than Jean or Fanny is a sly boot and does some snooping. Jean arranges for her elimination in a manner more common in the forests of Montana or Wyoming than France, but luck for Jean just runs out.
So, we are left with the knowledge there is no moral center to the universe, no supreme being to melt out justice to the morally corrupt wealthy.
What remains is a simple stroke of luck.
Once again Woody Allen’s camera is unobtrusive and he lets the narrative play-out without the tiresome close-ups and Ping-Pong cutting of lesser directors. The acting is credible and the pacing on-par. The ending is tense and a pleasant surprise.
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