Story of an aging dandy who is the factotum and arranger of female conquests for a brusque young millionaire.
Acting
Boyer weaponizes charm so hard you almost miss the melancholy underneath.
Costume
Maxime's impeccable tailoring vs. his crumbling dignity—costume as tragedy.
Director
Henri Verneuil
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was one of Charles Boyer's final French films before Hollywood fully reclaimed him; he reportedly fought to keep Maxime's ending ambiguous rather than redemptive.
Released at the tail end of France's 'cinema of quality,' the film quietly mourns the very polished, literary tradition it embodies—Boyer as elegy for a dying French masculinity.
FR
