''That Most Important Thing: Love'' (original French title: ''L'important c'est d'aimer'') is a French film directed by Polish filmmaker

Andrzej Żuławski Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director and writer best known for his 1981 psychological horror film ''Possession (1981 film), Possession''. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in ...

. It tells the story of a passionate love relationship between Nadine Chevalier, a B-List actress (

Romy Schneider Rosemarie Magdalena Albach (23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982), known professionally as Romy Schneider (), was a German and French actress. She is regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time and became a cult figure due to ...

), and Servais Mont, a photographer (

Fabio Testi Fabio Testi (born 2 August 1941) is an Italian actor. After growing up witnessing film work done around Lake Garda, Testi entered the sets of the film and began work as a stuntman and a double on set, where he worked as a stuntman on ''The Good, ...

), in the violent and unforgiving French show business. After Żuławski's second film, ''

The Devil Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or 'e ...

'', was banned in Poland, he decided to move to France, where he made this film in 1975. He coadapted and directed it based on the novel by

Christopher Frank Christopher Frank (5 December 1942, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, UK – 20 November 1993, Paris, France) was a British-born French writer, screenwriter, and film director. He won the 1972 Prix Renaudot for his novel ''La Nuit américaine'' th ...

' (unrelated to the 1973

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...

film of that name). The success in France was such – it was featuring the very popular actress

and French singer

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsa ...

– that it allowed Żuławski to return to Poland. The film had a total of 1,544,986 admissions in France. Romy Schneider received the

inaugural In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

César Award for Best Actress Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar River, in Colombia * Cesa ...

for this role and

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...

dedicated his film ''

All About My Mother ''All About My Mother'' () is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz, Rosa Maria Sardà, and Fernando Fernán Gómez. Th ...

'' partially to her in this role.

Plot

Servais Mont, a photographer, meets Nadine Chevalier who earns her money starring in cheap soft-core movies. Trying to help her, he borrows the money from loan sharks to finance the theatrical production of ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' and gives Nadine a part. Nadine is torn between Servais, with whom she is falling in love, and her husband Jacques, to whom she has moral obligations.

Cast

as Nadine Chevalier *

as Servais Mont *

as Jacques Chevalier * Claude Dauphin as Mazelli *

Roger Blin Roger Blin (22 March 1907 – 21 January 1984) was a French actor and director. He staged world premieres of Samuel Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot'' in 1953 and ''Endgame'' in 1957. Biography Blin was the son of a doctor; however, despite his ...

as Servais's father * as Madame Mazelli *

Michel Robin Michel Robin (13 November 1930 – 18 November 2020) was a French film, stage, and television actor. A sociétaire of the Comédie-Française since 1996, he also appeared in 120 films from 1966 to 2018. He won several awards for his acting, ...

as Raymond Lapade *

Guy Mairesse Guy Mairesse (10 August 1910 – 24 April 1954) was a French racing driver. He participated in three Formula One World Championship ''Grands Prix'', debuting on 3 September 1950. He scored no championship points. Mairesse built a haulage ...

as Laurent Messala *

Jacques Boudet Jacques Boudet (15 April 1935 – 15 July 2024) was 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). Career In cinema, ...

as Robert Beninge *

Katia Tchenko Katia Tchenko (born 8 May 1947) is a French actress of Ukrainian descent. She has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows since 1967. In 1999 she was a member of the jury at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival. Filmograph ...

as Myriam, the whore *

Nicoletta Machiavelli Nicoletta Machiavelli (1 August 1944 – 15 November 2015) was an Italian film actress, also known as Nicoletta Rangoni Machiavelli and Nicoletta Macchiavelli. Life and career The daughter of a Florentine father and of an American mother, Ma ...

as Luce, Lapade's wife *

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...

as Karl-Heinz Zimmer *

Paul Bisciglia Paul Antoine Alphonse Bisciglia (30 July 1928 – 18 April 2010) was a French film actor. Career Throughout his acting career, Bisciglia appeared in more than one hundred feature films. He made his debut in the 1950 film ''Trois télégram ...

as Assistant director

U.S. release

It was originally released in the U.S. in the 1970s in a dubbed version titled ''That Most Important Thing: Love''. The digitally restored French-language version made its cinematic debut in the U.S. in July 2017.

Reception

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, 92% of 12 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.5/10. Reviewing the full French version in ''

Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film ...

'', Ela Bittencourt called it one of Żuławski's best films and a "passionate portrait of the dignity—and the indignities—of an actor's work." She also praised the director's "fluid, roving camera... so attentive to every pang, twinge, or slightest hint of agony that it seems to expose the characters’ every nerve." In a 4/4 star review from ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'', Ben Sachs said that "shining through ''L'Important C'Est D'Aimer'' is a genuine sense that love enables us to transcend the most degrading experiences." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "the searing, sometimes confounding film ..showcases the heartbreaking talents of Schneider." Gene Moskowitz said in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'': "Accepted in its own terms of an almost symbolical tale of human survival and love, it is an unusual pic served by first rate acting."

References

External links

*
''That Most Important Thing: Love''
at UCM.ONE {{Andrzej Żuławski 1975 films 1975 romantic drama films French romantic drama films 1970s French-language films Films featuring a Best Actress César Award–winning performance Films about actors Films about theatre Films directed by Andrzej Żuławski Films scored by Georges Delerue 1970s French films