Stepping out of the cinema in Cannes one early evening in the summer of 1981 with the comment of a Frenchman: "C'est excellent!" I felt a genuine sympathy for that person. To me he looked to be in his 50/60es and he may not live anymore now more than 30 years after that night, however, he spoke exactly what I felt, and still feel after all these years. I was 25 then and very sensitive to colorful and sentimental stories; and here was one that had a storyboard of the classics and with the outline and looks of something very modern with a certain freshness - and lots of heart. I was immediately taken and still is. It lives in me inseparably with the memories of my youth. It may not be the greatest film ever made, it may even just be a second-rate piece of art. I really don't know. And I don't care. This is one of the best films I have seen. I hold as dear as books like Tolstoy's War And Peace, Thomas Mann's The House of Buddenbrook, music like the Tchaikovsky's symphonies and the songs of Serge Reggiani. It may be just a dream. It may not stand chance by a review. Still I would like to thank Mr. Lelouch and the whole cast for an unforgettable and magnificent experience. C'etait vraiment excellent!
Review of Bolero
