My Night At Maud's

 

In My Night at Maud's (Ma Nuit Chez Maud) (1969), Jean-Louis Trintignant plays a 34 year old devout Catholic who is seeking to live a moral life while still satisfying his sexual desires.

The film opens with Jean-Louis attending Mass where he notices a beautiful girl, Francoise (Marie-Christine Barrault). Jean-Louis tries to follow her in his car but loses her. Jean-Louis is an engineer who works for Michelin who has just returned to France after working in Canada. Later in the film we learn that in violation of the moral teachings of his Catholic faith, Jean-Louis has had a number of live-in girlfriends. Even though he genuinely cared for these women, each of the relationships have ended due to circumstances. Jean-Louis is an amateur mathematician and is seen in a bookstore browsing through the religious writings of the seventeenth century mathematician and Christian mystic Blaise Pascal.

 

Maud (Francoise Fabian)and Vidal (Antoine Videz)

 

On Christmas Eve, Jean-Louis runs into an old friend, Vidal (Antoine Videz) at a cafe. Vidal teaches philosophy at the local University and is an ardent Communist. Although Vidal does not believe in God, he does believe in the Marxist notion of the historical dialectic. This is the idea that history is headed toward a utopian socialistic state. Vidal acknowledges that he has, in a sense, accepted "Pascal's Wager.".    "Pascal's Wager" is the idea advanced by Pascal in his "Pensees,"  or book of theological reflections, that it does one no harm to believe in God since, if God does exist, one has everything to gain, but, if God does not exist, one loses nothing. Vidal says that even though he does not believe in God, by believing in the Marxist dialectic, he has accepted Pascal's Wager.

 

Vidal tells Jean-Louis that he is smitten with a beautiful recently divorced woman named Maud. Vidal tells Jean-Louis that if he goes to Maud's apartment alone she will sleep with him "just to pass the time" and that this is not good for either of them as they are not compatible for a long term relationship. Jean-Louis agrees to go with Vidal to Maud's if Vidal will accompany him to Midnight Mass.

The next night Vidal and Jean-Louis have dinner with Maud in her apartment. (Maud is played by the stunningly gorgeous Francoise Fabian). Three different world views are represented at the dinner table: Jean-Louis the theist, Vidal the Marxist, and Maud the hedonistic free thinker. At dinner the three discuss philosophy and religion again centering on the thought of Blaise Pascal. 

 


Maud in bed

After dinner, Maud comes out wearing only a nightshirt and settles into her bed in the living room. She announces that she always removes the nightshirt and sleeps in the nude because she cannot stand being tangled up in clothes. Since it is snowing heavily she says that it is not safe for Jean-Louis to try to drive home to a rural town and that he should spend the night in the extra bedroom. Vidal then leaves. Jean-Louis and Maud stay up late into the night discussing life and love. Maud admits that her marriage ended because both she and her husband were engaged in affairs. The sexual tension between Jean-Louis and Maud increases as the night goes on. Finally, Jean-Louis asks where the extra bedroom is at. Maud tells him there is no extra bedroom. There are only two bedrooms and her small daughter is asleep in one room and the maid is asleep in the other.  Jean-Louis will have to sleep with Maud. At first Jean-Louis tries to sleep in a chair but then finally gets in bed next to the nude Maud. That morning, Maud wakes up and rolls over and begins making love to Jean-Louis. At first Jean-Louis responds but finally pushes Maud away.  With her feelings hurt, Maud races into the bedroom and slams the door in Jean-Louis' face.

After leaving Maud's apartment, Jean-Louis runs into Francoise on the street. Jean-Louis approaches her and asks if he can take her out. Francoise is evasive but does not close the door.  That afternoon, Jean-Louis joins Maud, Vidal and another woman to go skiing in the mountains. Jean-Louis and Maud kiss and Maud agrees to have dinner with him.  That evening, after dinner in her apartment, Maud announces that she will soon be leaving Clermont and that she will probably never see Jean-Louis again. Jean-Louise bids Maud farewell and leaves.

 

Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant) tries to kiss the hard to

get Francois (Marie-Christine Barrault)

 

Jean-Louis' courtship of Francoise begins in earnest when he gives her a ride home in a snowstorm and is forced to stay the night because his car is stuck. Unlike Maud, who immediately tried to sleep with him, the chaste Francois stays in her bedroom and doesn't even want to kiss Jean Louis. In the morning they attend Mass together. 

As their relationship gets more serious, Francois admits that she is suffering from guilt because she had an affair with a married man. Jean-Louis admits that he has had other lovers. Francoise says that they should never speak of it again.

 





Maud, Francoise and Jean-Louis Five Years Later

 

 

The post script to the film occurs at a beach where Jean-Louis, Francois and their young son are on vacation. As they are walking to the beach they pass Maud who recognizes both Jean - Louis and Francoise. Jean Louis introduces Francois as his wife. Jean-Louis is surprised to learn that Maud and Francoise know each other. Maud tells Jean-Louis that she has remarried but it is not working out. Maud and Jean-Louis then say adieux for the last time. Francois appears upset. At first Jean-Louis thinks she is upset because she thinks he once slept with Maud. He is about to tell her that nothing happened begween him and Maud when He realizes that Francois is worried that he will discover that she was the mistress of Maud's husband. The film ends with Jean-Louis, Francois and their young son running hand in hand into the surf.

My Night at Maud's was the third film in director Eric Rohmer's film series Six Moral Tales. Movies like this are an acquired taste and probably only appeal to those of an intellectual bent. I enjoyed My Night At Maud's a great deal.  Even though not much in the way of action happens, a lot is going on with the characters. Quentin Tarantino has said that Eric Rohmer is one of his favorite directors due to his mastery of long sequences of involved dialogue. This is movie that will make you think about life. Each of the characters is motivated by his or her world view. Ideas do matter and we see the difference which they make. Maud, the hedonistic free thinker, is ultimately alone while Jean Louise and Francois are seen to live happily ever after. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film of 1969 and was nominated for the Palm d'Or at the 1969 Canne Film Festival.

I look forward to seeing more of Rohmer's work. Au Revoir.