Le Parfum d'Yvonne

Summer on Lake Geneva in the '50s finds Girardot's would-be writer hiding out from military service and the Algerian War. For a youthful wastrel of enigmatic means, the holiday atmosphere keeps the rest of the world at bay, perfectly setting the scene for a moment of sensual adventure when into his life walks glacial beauty Yvonne (Majani), and fez-wearing associate, the mysterious Dr Meinthe (Marielle). Erotic fascination and a giddy whirl of socialising fill the days that follow, all of it undercut by the realisation of life's fleeting evanescence. Typically succinct and joyously using the 'Scope format, Leconte's film is diaphanous in content but rich in visual and aural atmospherics. There's a heady whiff of pleasure to be gained from its piquant bouquet.