Trois Vies et une Seule Mort

Shock horror! Raul Ruiz makes an accessible, intelligible, entertaining film! An intriguing comedy in which Mastroianni plays four roles - a travelling salesman, an anthropologist-turned-tramp involved with a somewhat unusual hooker, a strangely laconic butler, and a wealthy industrialist - in (in)consequential stories which finally begin to overlap. What it all adds up to is a mystery (though the title may provide a hint), but the playfulness, the first-rate cast, the charm of Mastroianni's performance, and the discreet elegance of the whole make for very civilised entertainment.