If he had only done LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD -- one of the most beautiful films ever made -- that would have been enough to secure his place in film history.
The only Resnais film I've seen is Providence, on a double bill in the late seventies with Luis Buñuel's That Obscure Object of Desire. I'm afriad the latter completely overshadowed the former, but probably only on the grounds of featuring Carole Bouquet.
This thread has nudged me to seek out his other films, however.
I think Resnais' star fell when the US & UK filmakers started to adapt the stylistic and content advances pioneered by Euro directors. Once English speaking audiences could see "adult" "serious" films by homegrown directors the foreign language film lost musch of its cache.
Plus, resnais work was just not that interesting after LA GUERRE....
BTW the most succesful foreign film ever is probably LA DOLCE VITA - the FIFTH highest grossing film the year of its release in the USA brm
I just watched "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet." Wonderfully theatrical and literate and starring many of my favorite French actors (Amalric, Consigny, Piccoli, etc.) It reminds me of Malle's "Vanya on 42nd Street."
Has anyone in Europe seen Resnais' final film "Aimer, boire et chanter [Life of Riley]" yet?
