Manon 70

1968 film by Jean Aurel

Jean Aurel
Cécil Saint-Laurent

Based onManon Lescaut
by Abbe PrevostProduced by

Robert Dorfmann
Yvon Guézel

Starring

Catherine Deneuve
Elsa Martinelli
Sami Frey
Robert Webber
Paul Hubschmid
Jean-Claude Brialy

CinematographyEdmond RichardEdited byAnne-Marie CotretMusic bySerge Gainsbourg

Production
companies

Les Films Corona
Transinter Films
Roxy Films
Panda Films

Distributed by

Valoria Films (France)
CIDIF (Italy)

Release dates

21 February 1968 (1968-02-21) (France)
18 April 1968 (1968-04-18) (Italy)
17 May 1968 (1968-05-17) (West Germany)

Running time

105 minutesCountries

France
Italy
West Germany

LanguageFrenchBox office$3,253,380^[1]

Manon 70 is a 1968 drama film directed by Jean Aurel, and starring Catherine Deneuve, Elsa Martinelli, Sami Frey, Robert Webber, Paul Hubschmid and Jean-Claude Brialy. The screenplay by Aurel and Cécil Saint-Laurent is loosely based on the 1731 novel Manon Lescaut by Antoine François Prévost. The original music was composed by Serge Gainsbourg.

Synopsis

Manon is an amoral, free spirit who uses sex to surround herself in relatively luxurious surroundings. Journalist François sees her at the airport and falls in love with her. Once they land in Paris, he makes his move and steals her from the man she has been traveling with. François and Manon fall in love but Manon's brother, wants to live off his sister and causes trouble. Manon tries seeing a wealthy man at the same time as François.

Cast

Catherine Deneuve as Manon
Jean-Claude Brialy as Jean-Paul
Sami Frey as François Des Grieux
Elsa Martinelli as Annie
Robert Webber as Ravaggi
Paul Hubschmid as Simon
Claude Génia as wife
Jean Martin as hotel manager

Reception

Deneuve later said she wanted to work with Jean Aurel because she admired his film All About Loving (1964). Of Manon 70, she said, "The story was great but, in the end, [the film] just missed."^[2]