Les Amants (The Lovers) (1958)

100% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(938 ratings)

The Lovers (Les Amants) furthered the reputations of both director Louis Malle and star Jeanne Moreau -- and also pushed the boundaries of American censorship (1959 vintage) to the breaking point. Moreau plays a humdrum housewife whose life brightens considerably when she meets a handsome young… More The Lovers (Les Amants) furthered the reputations of both director Louis Malle and star Jeanne Moreau -- and also pushed the boundaries of American censorship (1959 vintage) to the breaking point. Moreau plays a humdrum housewife whose life brightens considerably when she meets a handsome young archeologist (Jean-Marc Bory). The two enjoy an exquisite evening in the boudoir, and when comes the dawn, Moreau has gained a whole new outlook on things. She abandons her family in favor of Bory, even though neither has the slightest notion of what the future will hold. The Lovers gained notoriety upon its first release as the Movie With the Nude Scene: though a model of decorum by today's standards (the most suggestive moment is a shot of Moreau's hand falling limply on the bedsheets), the scene provided fodder for outraged guardians of public morals for several years. One hapless Cleveland theatre owner was arrested on an obscenity charge, a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The Venice Film festival took a more liberal stance on the matter, awarding The Lovers a special jury prize. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Louis Malle
Written By: Louis Malle
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1958 Wide
On DVD: May 13, 2008

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
What a difference a lay makes...
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Jeanne Moreau at her "If it feels good, do it" best.
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
This film is nowhere close to Ophuls's landmark, but it did inaugurate Moreau's extraordinary run of '60s art films in high style.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The romantic drama is about a good hump going a long way for a horny chic lady.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Adultery and the bourgeoisie, the script is solid as are the performances but it's the awesome 'First Night' scene that really makes this film. While this is only Malle's second film, he is still experimenting with plot development and narrative but by now has… More
Adultery and the bourgeoisie, the script is solid as are the performances but it's the awesome 'First Night' scene that really makes this film. While this is only Malle's second film, he is still experimenting with plot development and narrative but by now has established himself as a strong director visually, the lighting during the boat trip is just beautiful. Visually stunning and hugely influential, a young Charles Webb obviously took note!
Stefanie C

jeanne moreau is intriguing to watch. fascinating exploration of the bourgeois and immensely bored. the plot was way ahead of its time -- interesting that this was filmed in the late 50's
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"The Lovers" starts with Jeanne(Jeanne Moreau) and Maggy(Judith Magre), best friends since childhood, watching a polo match in Paris featuring Raoul Flores(Jose Villalonga), a star player. When Maggy moved to Paris, Jeanne stayed behind in Dijon and… More
[font=Century Gothic]"The Lovers" starts with Jeanne(Jeanne Moreau) and Maggy(Judith Magre), best friends since childhood, watching a polo match in Paris featuring Raoul Flores(Jose Villalonga), a star player. When Maggy moved to Paris, Jeanne stayed behind in Dijon and married a newspaper publisher, Henri(Alain Cuny), and gave birth to a daughter, Catherine(Patricia Maurin). While a loving husband, Henri is also inattentive to her needs, spending most of his time at the newspaper. He encourages her visits to Paris which lead to Jeanne's attraction to Raoul.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Directed by Louis Malle, "The Lovers" is a stunning and lovingly photographed movie with an absolutely fantastic ending. Throughout, there is a running conflict between the past, present and a possible future, all running together. The Paris that Maggy knows is not the one I dream of high culture, but rather of style, fashion and impermanence compared to the provinces where nothing much ever changes. And even though Jeanne wants for nothing, there is still something missing from her life which might possibly be found in Paris.[/font]
Mike T

Aesthetically speaking, this is a truly beautiful piece, and Louis Malle does wonders with that aspect alone. On top of being a photographic triumph, the movie makes a lot of bold decisions in terms of sexual depictions, especially in regards to adultery. It's a very sensual… More
Aesthetically speaking, this is a truly beautiful piece, and Louis Malle does wonders with that aspect alone. On top of being a photographic triumph, the movie makes a lot of bold decisions in terms of sexual depictions, especially in regards to adultery. It's a very sensual experience, and is quite influential in a lot of ways. All that being said, the shallowness of the protagonist is a bit wearisome and a lot of the character's actions seem to work in favor of brisk plot development rather than realistic human tendencies. The movie sums itself up too quickly for the amount of material crammed in, and it does a lot of damage to how well transitions play out. Worth a look for its achievements.