Review of The Soft Skin

There is not much original in this story of a Parisian extramarital affair. Pierre (Jean Desailly) and Franca (Nelly Benedetti) are the married couple and Nicole (Françoise Dorléac) is Pierre's love interest. Pierre is a well known editor, author, and critic. Pierre is quite famous to the extent that his appearance to give an introduction to the movie "With André Gide" draws a sellout crowd. As part of this event Pierre is expected to entertain a group of local intelligentsia at a dinner. That scene had the ring of truth and Truffaut must have written it based on the many times he had been in similar situations. I wish there had been more supporting evidence for Pierre's fame, since I was being asked to buy into it; believing it was essential, since that is the main thing that I could see that Pierre had that could attract such a woman as Nicole. Pierre comes off as a mild family man, devoted to his daily habitual pleasures. Outside of one or two scenes there was no on-screen chemistry between Desailly and Dorléac. I also found the discord between Pierre and his wife more scripted than believable. The final scene was poorly motivated.

On the positive side the Criterion Collection print is high quality, showing off the skilled use of camera angles and film contrast. Those who appreciate black and white photography should enjoy this example. There is use of quick cuts in an attempt to add some excitement to the affair, but not enough to keep this from being but a minor variation on a time-worn theme.

Coming after "The 400 Blows," "Shoot the Piano Player," and "Jules and Jim," I was hoping for more from this.