Thursday, November 15 | 7:30 pm
As the film opens, struggling young pianist Édouard and his lively wife Caroline are dressing for a party at her uncle Claude’s, where they hope that Édouard’s musical talents will win the favor of Claude’s high-society guests. But a series of sartorial mishaps, from a lost waistcoat to a hastily altered gown, gives rise to an evening-long argument that threatens to upend Édouard’s career plans, and possibly the couple’s marriage. Unfolding nearly in real time, the final film in Jacques Becker’s Parisian “Youth Trilogy” grounds its keen observations about marriage and class in the small details of Édouard and Caroline’s intimate domestic routine and small bohemian flat, which stands in stark contrast to Claude’s lavish, impersonal house. A wry, sparkling comedy of manners reminiscent of Jean Renoir’s 1930’s masterpieces, Édouard and Caroline is an unassuming marvel, a testament to Becker’s humane spirit and exquisite craft.
Director Jacques Becker | 1951 | In French with English subtitles | 88 minutes | NR | DCP