''Catherine & Co.'' (french: Catherine et Cie) is a 1975 sex comedy film directed by

Michel Boisrond Michel Jacques Boisrond (9 October 1921, Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais – 10 November 2002, La Celle-Saint-Cloud) was a French film director and screenwriter. His work spanned five decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Career A former apprentice ...

from a screenplay by Catherine Breillat and Léo L. Fuchs, based on the 1967 novel ''Catherine and Co.'' by Edouard de Segonzac. The film stars Jane Birkin,

Patrick Dewaere Patrick Dewaere (26 January 1947 – 16 July 1982) was a French film actor. Born in Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, he was the son of French actress Mado Maurin. Actor from a young age, his career lasted more than 21 years, until his suicide in P ...

, Jean-Pierre Aumont,

Vittorio Caprioli Vittorio Caprioli (15 August 1921 – 2 October 1989) was an Italian actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in 109 films between 1946 and 1990, mostly in French productions. Biography Caprioli was born in Naples. Having graduated fr ...

and

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

Plot

Catherine is a young British prostitute who decides to make money living in Paris. After learning about corporate practices and business ins and outs from her clients, she decides to incorporate as an official escort business. Searching for people to invest in her scheme, she encounters both interest and setbacks.

Cast

Reception

On the film's initial US release in February 1976, Richard Eder of '' The New York Times'' described the film as a "

sex farce A bedroom farce or sex farce is a type of light comedy, which centres on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors. Overview The most famous bedroom farceur is probably George ...

", "sloppy, ill-shaped and very familiar", but with an air of sincerity that allowed the audience to enjoy its positive attributes. Eder particularly praised the acting of

as an Italian businessman who is one of the protagonist's lovers. On the other hand, John Simon's review for ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' described Birkin as "a nasty baggage" and the film as "the most offensive dungheap masquerading as a movie to be seen in years, perhaps ever." In a review for ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'', Geoff Brown said the film was "not hot enough to be a sexploiter, but not sophisticated enough to be anything better". In a 2012 retrospective article about Birkin's films, Australian critic Simon Foster called ''Catherine & Co.'' "one of the key films in Birkin's extensive filmography to take advantage of her sexuality at the height of her fame".Simon Foster
"Retrospective: Jane Birkin"
Special Broadcasting Service, March 16, 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Catherine and Co. 1975 films 1970s sex comedy films 1970s French-language films Films about prostitution in Paris Films based on French novels Films shot in Paris French sex comedy films Italian sex comedy films 1970s Italian films 1970s French films