Not on the Lips

Colour, 35 mm
France, 2003, 115 min
Section: Horizons

About the film

Gilberte has already once been married, in America, but she wasn´t happy because her husband didn´t want to kiss her on the mouth. But that marriage isn´t valid in France since it wasn´t authorized by the French consul. Thus Gilberte is free to marry Georges Valadray with whom she is perfectly happy. Georges, of course, doesn´t have a clue about her first marriage, to Eric Thomson - only Gilberte´s sister knows her secret. But trouble eventually arrives: her first husband shows up, introducing himself as her husband´s business partner. She begs him not to expose her, and like the true gentleman that he is, Eric agrees, though against his will: he´s fallen in love with her again. Gilberte and her sister try to avert scandal, but no mater what happens we know everything will come out alright. Alain Resnais has virtually given up serious themes, these days opting almost exclusively for stories that unite excellent acting performances with music. This time around he has chosen the André Barde and Maurice Yvain operetta, which had its original successful run in 1925.

About the director

Alain Resnais (b. 1922, Vannes) originally studied acting, but in 1945, after serving in the army, he began working as an editor and cameraman. And he made documentary films: the best known is the timeless Night and Fog (Nuit et Brouillard, 1953). His feature debut went on to become one of the leading works of the new wave, Hiroshima mon amour (1958). Other celebrated films include Last Year at Marienbad (L’année dernière à Marienbad, 1961), Muriel (1963), The War Is Over (La guerre est finie, 1966)  Je t’ aime, je t’ aime (1967), Providence (1974), My American Uncle (Mon oncle d’Amérique, 1980), I Want to Go Home (1989), Smoking/No Smoking, 1993) and The Same Old Song (On conaît la chanson, 1997).