‘Les félins‘, René Clément‘s 1964 film released in the English-language market under the title ‘Joy House‘ – proposes a stellar encounter. Alain Delon was already established as one of the superstars of French cinema and had gained international fame after starring in Visconti’s ‘The Leopard’. Jane Fonda had already made a name for herself as an actress in the United States and was struggling to get rid of the status of ‘daughter of …’. It was probably one of the purposes of crossing the ocean and wanting to work with European directors. René Clément was the first she would meet, an excellent professional, always with an eye on the audience and what they wanted to see, but sufficiently documented and skilled to take from the techniques of the New Wave and combine them with good traditions of French comedies and film noirs. The next will be, of course, Roger Vadim. But watching this movie also gave me a surprise. The two superstars on the credits are overshadowed by the screen presence of Lola Albright, an American actress from a previous generation, somewhat forgotten today, and it’s a shame that it is so.
Marc, a Don Juan with a superb physique, makes the mistake of getting involved with the wife of a South American Mafia boss, who decides to punish him in an exemplary and fatal way. After being found somewhere on the Cote d’Azur and after a tough beating, Marc barely escapes with his life and takes refuge in a convent, where he is hired as a driver by one of the benefactors, a rich and beautiful American widow. However, the castle where she lives with her younger and equally beautiful cousin harbors some macabre secrets, in addition to numerous secret corridors and rooms. Marc’s life will be put in danger both outside the castle where he continues to be pursued by mobsters and inside where he becomes the object of subtle and cruel games of love and death.
René Clément adapted an American novel and would have had the opportunity to accentuate the macabre parts of the story and even slip into the horror genre. He didn’t, and the film that begins as a combination of comedy and film noir, continues as a psychological thriller with erotic undertones. It is obvious that the director did not want to shock or alienate some of his regular audience. And yet, Clément made some unusual cinematic decisions. The film is shot in black and white, although the production is from 1964, when color film was at least as economical, and although a good part of the action scenes take place in the picturesque and sunny landscape of the Cote d’Azur. The cinematographer is Henri Decaë, one of the cinematographers adored by the New Wave directors, and the music belongs to the Argentinian Lalo Schifrin, who was then at the beginning of a career of over 60 years (and still counting) in which he would compose countless musical themes immortalized by famous films and successful television series. Alain Delon and Jane Fonda were in the prime of their youth and shine as I expected, but the real revelation is the third component of the triangle of characters whose adventures take place in the mysterious and dangerous castle. Lola Albright is beautiful and charismatic, and viewers (as well as Marc, the film’s hero) have a difficult task in deciding which of the two women is more attractive. If you haven’t seen ‘Les félins‘ yet, don’t miss the opportunity to watch it. If you’ve already seen it, consider a rewatch.