Quiet life in Clichy (1970)

	Also Known As: Stille Tage in Clichy
	Year of first release: 1970
	Director: Jens Jorgen Thorsen
	Actors: Paul Valjean, Wayne Rodda
	Country: DK
	Genre: Romance, Music
	Conditions of visioning: 27.08.2014, Bluray, Original English version
Synopsis: Joe (Valjean) is American and visits his French friend Carl (Rodda) for some months. Both search for food as peniless would-like-to-be writers and navigate relationships with various women. Major affairs are for Joey with Nys, a prostitute he meets at the Café Wepler near Montmartre, and Carl with Colette, a fifteen year-old runaway who moves in with them before eventually being retrieved by her parents.
Review: I decided to watch this movie because I wanted to see what a Danish director was looking for in Paris. I did not know Henry Miller who was also mentioned on the cover. I have been surprised by the succession of women affairs. And it is one reason for which Henry Miller is or has been famous in the 60's and 70's. The story is indeed a succession of affairs with all type of women (age, colour, behaviour) even if many are prostitutes. These scenes are alternating with dialogues between Joe and Carl or thought by Joe walking in Paris, looking for food. Dialogues about How to live, about His goals in life. This reminded me Charles Bukowski's novel Women, even if the perspective is very different. Bukowski has much more to tell about life. I did not see much evolution in the main characters from the beginning till the end of the movie. Considering the historical context in 1970 this movie was really modern for the sexual revolution even if not considering neither the feminism movement nor the political situation. There are a lot of naked scenes, even in the street of Paris. The first ten minutes are creative having a good song by Country Joe and the Fish and having words written on the pictures (gray and cunt mostly). The acting is rather boring. The scenes are actually interesting to me only via the music by Country Joe. The lyrics depict much more ideas than the movie itself. Even if some of these can sound misogynous.  Watching this movie gave me the motivation to watch movies based on Bukowski novels, such as Factotum, Crazy love and Barfly.
Rating: 3 /10