The Year One

Jacques Doillon’s first feature, adapted by political cartoonist Gebe from his own cartoon book, departs from a favorite French fantasy that grew out of the events of May 1968: going back to zero and starting the world over again from scratch. Developed episodically, with intermixed documentary and staged footage, this lighthearted comedy even makes room for brief sequences done by Alain Resnais and Jean Rouch that show the effects of the world revolution on Wall Street and Africa, respectively. I haven’t seen this black-and-white movie since it opened in Paris in 1973, but at the time it was sprightly fun; there’s also an opportunity to see Gerard Depardieu and Miou-Miou at the beginning of their screen careers. (JR)

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