''Le Couple témoin'', released in English as ''The Model Couple,'' is a 1977

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

film by William Klein. It is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the supp ...

and

modernity Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular socio-cultural norm (social), norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the Renaissancein the " ...

, and follows the events of a national experiment where a "model couple" representing the typical French pair is subjected to constant surveillance as they undergo experiences both mundane and absurd.

Themes

Originally intended as a piece of a larger production, ''The Model Couple'' is a satire that is critical of

mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information ...

, technology and government

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

, and investigates the ways in which

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

societies can become oppressively

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...

. Despite these heavy themes, the film's tone is largely

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

, interspersed with

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

sequences.

Plot

In 1970s France, Jean-Michel (

André Dussollier André Dussollier (born 17 February 1946) is a French actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as f ...

) and Claudine (

Anémone Anne Bourguignon (; 9 August 1950 – 30 April 2019), known professionally as Anémone (), was a French actress, filmmaker and political activist. She took her stage name in 1968 from the title of her film debut in Philippe Garrel's ''Anémone' ...

) are chosen by the Ministry of the Future to be the "model couple", a heterosexual pair to be used as test subjects in order to create "a new city for the new man" in the year 2000. Immediately upon their arrival at the test facility, Jean-Michel and Claudine are subjected to constant surveillance and monitoring by a pair of unfriendly sociologists (

Zouc Isabelle von Allmen (born 29 April 1950), better known by the stage name Zouc, is a Swiss actress. Life & career Isabelle von Allmen was born in Saint-Imier and raised in Saignelégier. By the age of 14 she was performing every night in front of ...

and

Jacques Boudet Jacques Boudet (born 29 December 1939) is a French stage and screen actor. He had great success in the 1980s with his appearance in '' Exercises in Style'', and is featured in the film ''The Names of Love'' (2010). In cinema, he frequently ap ...

) who constantly rate and evaluate the couple. The couple are asked to evaluate various state-of-the-art consumer products and to go through their daily routines in increasingly alienating and Kafkaesque circumstances. As the experiment proceeds, the media speculates endlessly about its progress on talk shows and in news reporting, and the couple becomes increasingly irritated with the sociologists, the experiment, and each other. The sociologists' true motives become unclear, as they simultaneously mislead the couple as to the purpose of the experiment while themselves expressing contempt for the experiment's supposed intent and proceedings. The experiment enters a new phase, titled "denormalization". The couple are visited by guests, including a government minister and the American psychologist Dr. Goldberg, who humiliates Jean-Michel by testing his submissiveness to authority. Later, a group of teenage terrorists (who are likely also employed by the Ministry of the Future, although this is left ambiguous) invades the experiment chamber wielding fake weapons. The terrorists propose that the couple play along with them and rebel against the experiment, unplugging all of the surveillance equipment and covering the walls with graffiti. A hostage team is sent to negotiate with the terrorists while the news media speculates wildly as to their motives and the consequences for the experiment. The terrorists demand airtime on television in exchange for the release of the couple, and film a short video together with Jean-Michel and Claudine. At the end of the film, Jean-Michel and Claudine are evicted from the experiment without an explanation as the terrorists and sociologists walk away.

Production

The film was written and directed by William Klein, edited by Valerie Mayoux, and has music by

Michel Colombier Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor. Career Colombier wrote the scores of several motion pictures and TV productions. He also wrote chamber music and ballets. With composer Pierre H ...

and

Hugues Aufray Hugues Jean Marie Auffray (; born 18 August 1929), better known as Hugues Aufray, is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist. Aufray is known for French language covers of Bob Dylan's songs. Aufray knew Dylan and his work from his time in New ...

. William Klein and

Philippe Rousselot Philippe Rousselot, (born 4 September 1945) is a French cinematographer and film director best known for his wide range of work in both European and mainstream American cinema, ranging in genres from drama, to fantasy, to blockbusters. He has ...

are credited for

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

Cast

: Jean-Michel *

: Claudine *

: Psycho-sociologist no. 1 *

: Psycho-sociologist no. 2 *

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Edward Israël Constantinowsky; October 29, 1917 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of se ...

: Doctor Goldberg *

Georges Descrières Georges Descrières (15 April 1930 – 19 October 2013) was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films and television shows between 1954 and 1996. He starred alongside Anna Karina in the 1962 film '' Sun in Your Eyes'' and portrayed the gentlem ...

: Minister of the Future * André Penvern: TV commentator

Reception and legacy

In a review for the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

, Michael Koresky describes the film as "soberingly prescient" and "remarkably fresh...a social satire

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

carries a timeless sting". A review in ''

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic Desautez is dep ...

'' wrote that the film's improvised tone was both charming and a limitation which underscored director William Klein's penchant for

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

over fiction, concluding that ''The Model Couple'' is overall quite funny and that

's performance as an antisocial psychosociologist alone makes the film worth watching. The film is included in a

box set of William Klein's films.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Model Couple 1977 films Swiss comedy films French satirical films Films directed by William Klein Films scored by Michel Colombier Swiss science fiction films French science fiction comedy films 1970s French films