The Man Who Loved Women

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Directed by Francois Truffaut

Over the course of his illustrious career Francois Truffaut directed both serious and light fare but was capable of creating excellent films in any genre. "The Man Who Loved Women" is an example of Truffaut's unique and excellent handle on comedy as well as his ability to infuse stories which at face value appear superficial or breezy with realisitc and often compelling portrayals of the complexities and disappointments of human relationships.

"The Man Who Loved Women" is Bertrand Morane (embodied hilariously be a raspy voided Charles Denner), a Montpelier man whose attraction to the opposite sex is of an epic, all consuming scope. Morane's dedication to the female kind is sparked more by his love of variety than commitment which obviously means that an endless array of female companions have enjoyed Bertrand's company, and he theirs. Betrand decides at one point that his numerous conquests need to be put to paper and sets out to write a memoir chronicling his love life and is surprised when a local publisher expresses interest in publishing his bawdy work.

If anyone wants to see what happens when this type of subject matter is put into the hands of a lesser director than Truffaut, feel free to watch the risible 1983 Hollywood ramake of "The Man Who Loved Women" starring Burt Reynolds and Julie Andrews. Truffaut was unmatched when it came to telling droll yet cautionary tales about the lives of France's morally liberal middle classes and "The Man Who Loved Women" is perhaps the best example of Truffaut's ability to take otherwise ribald subject matter and present it in a literate and intellectually stimulating manner.
It is most interesting to note that "The Man Who Loved Women," appearing at face value as a type of ode to a modern day Casanova, is far more critical of the type of morally louche lifestyle Betrand leads than one might expect. Indeed, Truffaut, himself a legendary womanizer, seems to show sympathy for Bertrand without ever excusing his behavior or denying the potentially hurtful effects of his actions. Indeed, Bertrand is never shown as a cad or as a man seeking to inflict pain on the fairer sex, but rather as someone with a kind heart who simply wants to actively seek pleasure and share it with the opposite sex. Despite Bertrand's not totally impure intentions, Truffaut nevertheless concedes that Bertrands's revolving door of women is never pain free and leaves a number of women in his wake, jaded and hurt along the way. Bertrand even appears unaware that his lascivious behavior is seen as such by others, shown brilliantly when the woman he hires to type up his memoirs refuses to continue on the basis of her revulsion towards the risqué material produced by Bertrand.
Many of Truffaut's films have the same tenor and as a director many of his works can be seen as cautionary tales against living a life free of responsibility and dedicated to pleasure. Charles Denner's Bertrand is in many ways like Michael Caine's Alfie, a man who, as the title of Truffaut's film suggests, simply loves women and wants to embark on a never ending two way street of pleasurable existence with them but finds out along the way that such a life is likely impossible.