Review #1002: Bay of Angels (1963)

Title: Bay of Angels
Year: 1963
Director: Jacques Demy
Country: France
Language: French

A while ago I had bought The Essential Jacques Demy set from The Criterion Collection in hopes that my wife and I would enjoy each of the six pictures that came with it. We love Young Girls of Rocheforte (1967), as well as Umbrellas of Cherbourgh (1964). I think Donkey Skin (1970) is a great film whereas my wife thinks it's just "good". I also am quite fond of Lola (1961) whereas she is so-so on it. Most recently we viewed Bay of Angels (1963), and boy was it...meh? 

Jean (Claude Mann) is a clerk in a bank. His colleague Caron is a gambler and gives him the virus. In the casinos, Jean meets Jackie (Jeanne Moreau). Their love affair will follow their luck at the roulette wheel.

I "get" the themes that Demy is trying to display. Love is a gamble; you can lose it all or win it all depending on how the tide turns. Love can also be a bad addiction; we often fall in love with characters we shouldn't and our bad habits often get the best of us. Michel Legrand’s swelling, desperately romantic piano notes associate gambling with love; we hear it in the casino as well as the bedroom. There's no denying it's a well made picture.

The problem I have with Bay of Angels is that it does not represent the Demy I've come to love. His pictures are fairy-tale like; transporting us to a world that is full of romance and passion. His films are wonderfully escapist in the best way imaginable. This picture is dark and dreary, full of characters that are downright despicable. There is no doubt Jeanne Moreau, who is at the height of her career, plays her part well, but it's fairly hard to care about the hopelessly addicted woman who has no redeeming qualities. 

Sure Umbrellas of Cherbourgh (1964) and Lola (1961) had scenes of great melancholy, but they also had vibrant charismatic characters. There were elements of sweetness and style that just isn't present in Bay of Angels. Though I have yet to see Une Chambre En Ville, I have no doubt that this picture will be the weakest of the bunch.