The Power of a Great Director to Bring It Home.

The haunting title song from Otto Preminger’s film Bonjour Tristesse (goodbye/hello sorrow/sadness) and its line ‘I’ve lost me. That is all.’ sung by French singer Juliette Gréco brings to full bear the genius of a director to synthesize the emotions, expressions and diverse elements in bringing forward an emotionally effecting conduction of disparate energies and allowing them to shine through the characters and events on display, projecting before our eyes, moving into our own emotions and deeply connecting to our universal heart. 

We need not be on a dance floor in Europe bored out of our minds to absolutely relate to this particular sequence. It highlights the beauty of the artistic expression across a wide canvass of influences.

Enjoy this clip as an introduction to the film. Definitely a must watch for any Netflix lover of classic beautifully done works by a top Director.



[The title comes from the first lines in a short poem, À peine défigurée, by French poet Paul Éluard [1895-1952], first published in a book of poems by Éluard titled La Vie immédiate (1932). The poem begins Adieu tristesse/ Bonjour tristesse... (Goodbye sadness/ Hello sadness). The original poem can be read at the end of the post. --From Wikipedia] This poem provided the inspiration for the book (which I have not read) authored by Francoise Sagan that sold more than two million copies worldwide and was written in six weeks while she was a student at the Sorbonne in Paris. The screen adaptation is by one of my favorite writers from that era, the super fabulous Aurthur Laurents.

Inspiration strikes in many different ways. I love the full exercise of that first intuition and spark of words on a page becoming something visually magnificent!

Enjoy the poem that sparked the journey toward this beautiful movie. 

Barely Disfigured by Paul Éluard

Adieu Tristesse

Bonjour Tristesse

Farewell Sadness

Hello Sadness

You are inscribed in the lines on the ceiling

You are inscribed in the eyes that I love

You are not poverty absolutely

Since the poorest of lips denounce you

Ah with a smile

Bonjour Tristesse

Love of kind bodies

Power of love

From which kindness rises

Like a bodiless monster

Unattached head

Sadness beautiful face.

So simple, a few words on a page, and yet it opened every door necessary for the players and performers to take the stage and show up offering every piece of their talents to the overall production that would follow.

Bravo!