''Night Wind'' (french: Le Vent de la nuit) is a French drama film that came out in 1999, starring

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

and directed by

Philippe Garrel Philippe Garrel (; born 6 April 1948) is a French director, cinematographer, screenwriter, film editor, and producer, associated with the French New Wave movement. His films have won him awards at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. ...

, with a score by

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...

. It tells a story of transient loves and willed deaths, in which a callow young man abandons an older woman and loses a wiser friend.

Plot

Paul, a young sculptor in Paris who is having an affair with Hélène, a married woman in her fifties, goes to Italy for the unveiling of one of his works. There he meets the laconic Serge, a man in his fifties who is returning alone to Paris in his red Porsche 911 and agrees to take Paul. The two develop a friendship as the immature Paul, who uses recreational drugs, learns from the life story of the world-weary Serge. In fact, viewers learn, Serge's hardened exterior hides his intention of ending his life by taking pills. Back in Paris, when Paul walks Hélène home after a session in his room, she asks him up to meet her husband. As the husband talks to Paul, she gets increasingly tense and suddenly breaks a wineglass, using a shard to slash her wrist. Paul rigs up a tourniquet while the husband fetches a doctor, who pronounces her safe. When Serge tells Paul he is driving to Berlin, Paul agrees to ride with him. In the city, Paul picks up a whore while Serge goes to a cemetery. There he visits a grave, which viewers can assume to be that of his wife who committed suicide. Returning to Paris, when Serge drops Paul off outside his building at 11pm, Hélène is waiting on the pavement. The three agree to go to a Chinese restaurant but, when they are served, Paul gets up and goes home. Left alone, Serge and Hélène admit that they like being together. Serge walks her to a hotel nearby, on the way buying some pills at a late-night pharmacy. After they have made love, the first time for Serge since his wife died, he goes home and takes the pills.

Cast

: Hélène *

Daniel Duval Daniel Duval (28 November 1944 – 10 October 2013) was a French film actor, director and writer. Best known as an actor, Duval has credits in over 70 television and film productions. As a filmmaker, Duval was awarded the Silver Prize at the 1 ...

: Serge *

Xavier Beauvois Xavier Beauvois (; born 20 March 1967) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Career His film ''Don't Forget You're Going to Die'' was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Jury Prize. His film '' Of Gods an ...

: Paul *

Jacques Lassalle Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

: Hélène's husband

Soundtrack

The film was scored by former member of

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

, John Cale. The soundtrack was performed by Cale with slide-guitarist Mark Deffenbaugh, and was released as an album.

References

External links

* * 1999 films Films directed by Philippe Garrel 1990s French-language films French independent films 1990s French films {{1990s-France-film-stub