Winner of two Césars (the French equivalent of the Oscar), writer/director Claude Sautet's film follows the platonic love relationship between an older man (Michel Serrault) and a young woman (Emmanuelle Béart), who meet through a mutual friend and wind up writing his memoirs together. Though the two never have sex, their relationship is wrought with humor, tension, jealousy, and love. Serrault and Béart have wonderful chemistry, playing well off the other's emotions and creating a realistic sense of mutual attraction. Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud is a lovely and subtle film which lacks many of the sugary ideals found in Hollywood romantic comedies. Recommended. (L. Russo) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Oct. 8, 2019—Kino Lorber, 106 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1995’s Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger, and a booklet essay by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. Bottom line: this solid French relationship drama looks luminous on Blu-ray.]
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud
(New Yorker, 103 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, avail. Apr. 8) Vol. 12, Issue 2
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud
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