MovieChat Forums > Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray (1962) Discussion > The Bumper Cars Scene

The Bumper Cars Scene

posted 9 years ago by rnmackenzie
3 replies | jump to latest

During the bumper cars scene, Pierre's wife kisses him, and the camera shows us Francoise looking on. But Francoise could not have been there: it was Sunday, and her "father" had not come to pick her up. And if she really was supposed to be there, we would surely have seen more of her, during the brawl or while the group got into the car and pulled away. And we would have had some explanation for how she got there without her guardian taking her.

So at first I assumed this was just a POV thing--that Pierre imagined her seeing the kiss, out of his own guilt and panic. But later, in a conversation between them, she mentions the kiss. So either a) she really was there, which makes no sense at all, or b) the film is suggesting some kind of spiritual telepathy between the two. I like explanation b better. Does anyone have a more definitive interpretation?

[–] LuciaJoyce 9 years ago

I'm watching this scene right now. Françoise is really there: in the background of one shot, while Pierre is fighting, you can see and hear Françoise shout his name before being dragged away by a nun. So presumably she is there on a school outing

Your point about Pierre's invocation of Françoise as a manifestation of his guilt is a valid one: it's almost as if she's invoked directly as a result of Madeleine's kiss, in combination with the clairvoyante's encouragements.

[–] jnatch 9 years ago

doesnt his girlfriend also mention the girl being there later? I think it is an editing flaw, perhaps the girls went out as a group and there had been a quick scene to explain that but it was, unwisely, edited out

thats a fairly bad error

[–] japonaliya 9 years ago

First, the woman was Pierre's girlfriend, a nurse that he met in the hospital after he he had PTS. Francoise wrongly calls her his "wife" when at his apt. and Pierre does not correct her.

As to why she was there on Sunday when Pierre did not pick her up..it is simple. You can see the nuns with the children at the carnival. It seems that the children who had no parents or had no one to take them out on Sundays were taken by the nuns on outings. It was just a coincidence that she happened to be there at the same time..

Many things that happened in the film were not shown and left to the imagination such as Pierre returning to Cybele and getting shot.

It was the director's intent, not a flaw.

You have to understand the "new wave" cinematic style to appreciate these now quirky directorial decisions.