This is the story of Manesquier a retired professor who still does a little teaching of poetry. Nothing in his house has been changed since his mother died 30 years ago. He lives quietly with his books, his piano and his dreams of what could have been.
We are all made up of two parts....we are what we are and we are what we would like to be. Manesquier is like that. He leaves his doors unlocked so that his alter ego can enter unannounced. This is Milan whom he finds so fascinating, so exciting, living a life so unlike his own lonely existence. Milan is a thief, a bank robber, a man of action, quick on the draw...but talks little.
In my opinion Milan does not exist as a person but only in the mind of Manesquier. All of the scenes in which Milan appears are in Manesquier's imagination. Viviane too is a part of his memories.
The final scenes of the hospital operating theatre cutting to and from the bank robbers in action are a dramatic but bewildering conclusion. Once again my explanation is that the only real happening is what is taking place in the hospital. Manesquier always wanted to be a part of the excitement of a robbery and so he imagines under anaesthesia what it would be like with all the noisy shooting and Milan (the other part of him) dying on the steps. Anaesthesia and his failing heart are playing tricks on his mind. The nurse responds to his murmurs and he pulls through the operation.
The throwing of the keys to Milan across the street is purely a symbolic action indicating perhaps that after all these years he is turning his back on the house with all its sad memories and is looking forward to a new and different future. In the closing scene we see him in the train pensively moving on.
The script and acting are brilliant. I also like the sound effects of the speeding train and the music. I'm not sure why the streets are so empty. They emphasize that life is pretty boring in that part of the world where nothing ever really happens...
We are all made up of two parts....we are what we are and we are what we would like to be. Manesquier is like that. He leaves his doors unlocked so that his alter ego can enter unannounced. This is Milan whom he finds so fascinating, so exciting, living a life so unlike his own lonely existence. Milan is a thief, a bank robber, a man of action, quick on the draw...but talks little.
In my opinion Milan does not exist as a person but only in the mind of Manesquier. All of the scenes in which Milan appears are in Manesquier's imagination. Viviane too is a part of his memories.
The final scenes of the hospital operating theatre cutting to and from the bank robbers in action are a dramatic but bewildering conclusion. Once again my explanation is that the only real happening is what is taking place in the hospital. Manesquier always wanted to be a part of the excitement of a robbery and so he imagines under anaesthesia what it would be like with all the noisy shooting and Milan (the other part of him) dying on the steps. Anaesthesia and his failing heart are playing tricks on his mind. The nurse responds to his murmurs and he pulls through the operation.
The throwing of the keys to Milan across the street is purely a symbolic action indicating perhaps that after all these years he is turning his back on the house with all its sad memories and is looking forward to a new and different future. In the closing scene we see him in the train pensively moving on.
The script and acting are brilliant. I also like the sound effects of the speeding train and the music. I'm not sure why the streets are so empty. They emphasize that life is pretty boring in that part of the world where nothing ever really happens...