"Finally, Sunday"*** 1\2 (out of ****)
"Finally, Sunday" (1983) is a love letter from one filmmaker to another.
Yes, French filmmaker Francois Truffaut goes "psycho" in his attempt to create a Hitchcockian thriller in his final film.
Truffaut literately wrote the book on Hitchcock. In 1966 his "Cinema According to Hitchcock" was published. It also served as the basis for the documentary, "Hitchcock / Truffaut" (2015). Truaffaut, back in his days as a critic for the famed magazine, "Les Cashiers du Cinema", always championed American cinema and adored the films of Hitchcock (as did fellow French filmmaker and Cashier du Cinema critic Claude Chabrol). So, it was no surprise Truffaut would take on such a homage to one of his heroes.
"Finally, Sunday" however is more Hitchcockian in theme than execution. There is the element of the wrongly accused man, but, Truffaut takes this material, based on the novel "The Long Saturday Night" by Charles Williams, and adds a dash of 40s noir and throws in plenty of humor for good measure. Truffaut is still able to put his signature on the movie.
The always terrific Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as Julien Vercel, a real estate agent accused of murdering Jacques Massoulier, who was found dead during a hunting trip. Police have ruled out suicide as all clues lead to Julien. His finger prints were found at the location and his wife (Caroline Sihol) had an affair with Jacques. But, Julien claims he is innocent and will prove it, with the help of his secretary, Barbara (Fanny Ardent, who was married to Truffaut).
What differentiates "Finally, Sunday" from other film noir or Hitchcock movies is the significant role the woman plays in the investigation, although Hitchcock's "Stage Fright" (1950) is an exception. The material also calls for Barbara and Julien to engage in verbal spats reminiscent to a lovers' quarrel often seen in screwball comedies like "His Girl Friday" (1940). And, like those screwball comedies, will the two come together in the end? Can murder bring two people together as it did in Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954)?
Perhaps because she was sleeping with the director, Fanny Ardent's beauty becomes a preoccupation of the camera. In its initial review in the New York Times, critic Vincent Canby called Ardent's performance "sexy" and referred to her as "ravishingly beautiful". When we first see Barbara, she is walking down a sidewalk. A man notices her and begins to follow her. Anticipating her to turn a corner with him, she doesn't, disappointing the man. If it does nothing else in relation to the movie's plot, it establishes Barbara is a desirable woman. In a later scene she poses as a prostitute.
Barbara's take charge attitude and street prowess serves as a counter to Trintignant's Julien, who must rely on Barbara to find the real killer while he is in hiding. Of course, it doesn't stop him from complaining about her techniques, which many times results in the movie's humorous moments.
Where "Finally, Sunday" may go wrong, is it is not a great mystery. There is no suspense building up to revealing the killer, strange when you make a movie as a homage to the "master of suspense". Some may say that is not the point. The emphasis here is comedy. If that is the case than I must say the movie isn't funnier than "The Thin Man" (1934), the multiple Oscar nominated comedy / mystery based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett.
Others though may interpret the movie as really a love story in disguise. They wouldn't be too far off but as a real love story there is an element of chemistry missing between Julien and Barbara. Individually they are fun to watch. Some of the witty banter between them is amusing. Which is why I like the movie. But, to be taken serious as a love story, "Finally, Sunday" would fall flat.
The movie works best if viewed as a slight dessert, a light diversion, a mixture of romance, mystery and comedy. It doesn't juggle these genres perfectly but if you don't take it too serious, it has a pleasant quality. It was recognized by BAFTA with one nomination in the foreign language category and two Cesar nominations (the French equivalent of the Oscars), one for Ardent's performance and the other for Truffaut's direction. Unfortunately the cinematography by Oscar winner Nestor Almendros, who shot several Truffaut and Eric Rohmer films, didn't receive any nominations.
Originally released in America as "Confidentially Yours", the movie is no longer available on VHS or DVD and has never been released on Blu-ray. It is however available as part of a UK collection set - The Francois Truffaut Collection on DVD and Blu-ray. Each title is also sold separately. This is the copy I personally own. It is a major improvement over the American VHS copy I saw many years ago. Sadly the status of availability of this Truffaut film is the same for many of the great director's films here in America.
Though never intended to be Truffaut's final film, he passed away one year later at age 52 from a brain tumor, "Finally, Sunday" is a worthy film in the great director's cannon. It possess his spirit and provides him with a wonderful showcase for his wife (their second movie together) who steals the show. It's not "great" Truffaut, but the master earned the right to make a fun lark now and than. And that, for me, is what "Finally, Sunday" ultimately is. A well made, beautiful photographed, witty lark with fine performances.
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