Product Description

Alain Renais’ (Last Year at Marienbad) delightful new period musical comedy is based on a 1925 Parisian Operetta and stars Audrey Tautou (A Very Long Engagement), Isabelle Nanty (Amelie) and Lambert Wilson (The Matrix sequels).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76223 in DVD
• Brand: Genius
• Released on: 2005-03-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 115 minutes

Amazon.com
A frothy 1925 operetta, performed by a glittering cast that includes Sabine Azema and Audrey Tautou, might not sound precisely like the great director Alain Resnais's glass of champagne. But Not on the Lips (Pas sur la bouche) is in a line of Resnais films that uses false sets and stylized acting for its effect. This musical farce follows a wife (Azema) trying to keep her husband (Pierre Arditi) from learning that she was actually married once before--to an American who is about to become hubby's business partner. Awkward. Audrey Tautou, in a distinctly supporting role, navigates the trickery of flirtation as she tries to attract lounge lizard-y Jalil Lespert. Azema and Arditi are smooth as glass, but the standout here is Lambert Wilson (the French dude of the Matrix saga) as the tall, cigar-smoking American businessman, who disdains the un-hygenic dangers of kissing on the lips. Wilson's delivery of English phrases and his American-accented French is spot-on--you can hear the joke even if you don't speak French. The lightness of touch is maintained throughout, however gently the director of Last Year at Marienbad may be prodding at the undercurrents of Franco-American hostility (which probably seemed more loaded in 2004 than in 1925) and marital anxiety. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Delightful French Operetta, or Lightweight Musical Comedy
Perhaps you want to know something about the star of 'Amelie' first. But facts first. Based on the operetta first staged in 1925, 'Not on the Lips' ('Pas Sur La Bouche!') is a lightweight musical comedy, starring Sabine Azema, Isabella Nanty, Audrey Tautou, Pierre Arditi, Darry Cowl, Jalil Lespert, Daniel Prevost, and Lambert Wilson (the mysterious French character in 'Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions').

So this is a comedy with ensemble cast. Regardless of what you see on the DVD cover, Audrey Tautou's role is not big, but not small. That, however, does not change the fact that 'Not on the Lips' is a fun to watch for the fans of operetta, or kind of silly but delightful, old-fashioned farce with little songs and neat art deco.

The film, which does not hide its stage origin, is divided into three 'acts.' The story starts when George (Arditi) rather pompously tells of his theory about love -- he says, to any woman, the first love is always the best love. Little does he know that his wife Gilberte (Azema) was (fleetingly) married to an American, one Eric Thompson (Wilson), and to her great surprise, Eric is coming to her house as her unsuspecting husband's business partner.

Thus, as the rules of farce, the mistaken (and hidden) identities and door slamming complicate the situations. Things get more confusing (and funny) when starry-eyed Huguette (Tautou) falls in love with the hunky 'artist' Charley (Lespert), who in turn chases Gilberte .... and so on an on. Can't you follow the relations now? It's okay, anyway, you can when you see the film itself.

The film is full of playful songs (sung by the cast), and they are mostly enjoyable, though they might sound repetitous. The problems is not that; it is, probably non-French-speaking audience would not fully appreciate the joy that these songs and dialogus convey. (I must confess that I, being a Japanese, couldn't.) Plenty of puns like 'Cubism' and 'CooCoo-ism' could be heard, but many of them just flew over my head.

And as the film retains some of the now out-of-date values and manners (intentionally, I guess), you may be slightly embarrassed, hearing the phoney 'American' English -- hear Lambert Wilson's 'WHATDDYA SAY' -- or seeing a hunk who looks like Rudolph Valentino.

But the film succeeds in creating the joyful mood, and though the contents are slight, it is great to see the glitteringly gorgeous costumes that none of us would wear today. For someone like veteran director Alain Resnais ('Last Year at Marienbad' and many many others), it must be an easy job. (By the way, he was born in 1922.)

It's a fluff, to be sure, but in a way it's an admirable job, for, even among the recent revival of musicals, no one can and would make a film like this today -- these charming songs you might hear on old LP records, the fluffy clothes, and talk about 'resque' that is no longer 'risque' these days. You may like it, ot hate it. I happen to like it, and charming Audrey Tautou too, that's why 4 stars.

Enjoyable museum piece
Imagine Woody Allen unearthing a naughty 1920s play, maybe one written by Mae West, with a few catchy patter songs in it. Imagine Woody casting it with attractive stars who can't all sing too well and setting it in a set that is handsome but stage bound, with a mobile, almost dancing camera. Now you can imagine what "Pas Sur La Bouche" is like. As a Frenchman, I enjoyed hugely all the musty puns, the daffy songs and all the silliness. My American wife could not stand five minutes of it. It is all very "boulevard," with asides to the audience and a lot of "Ciel, Mon Mari" situations. If you are in the mood for a French museum piece, you will love this. Otherwise...

Nostalgic French Musical of the Twenties
Ah..how we miss the naughty twenties. This 1920's operatta brings back those times with catchy French tunes and saucy puns. Mix a little George Gershwin, Charly Chaplin, and Maurice Chevalier. The film is fluffy and light; Sabine Azema is magnificent in her gorgeous gowns. The movie won't satisfy the taste of everyone but for those who miss charm and good clean fun in contemporary cinema, give this one a whirl. I liked it.