And Now My Love

1974 film

And Now My Love , (Released as 'A Whole Lifetime' in Australia) is a French Italian film released in 1974 by Claude Lelouch, starring Marthe Keller, André Dussollier, Charles Denner, and Charles Gérard. The American title derives from the use of the Gilbert Bécaud song "Et Maintenant" at the film's climax; the song title literally translates as "And Now," and the song became a worldwide hit when it was recorded with English lyrics as "What Now My Love". And Now My Love was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 1975. The film was also screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, but wasn't entered into the main competition.

The story begins in pre World War I France with a silent, black and white sequence where a man operating a Lumiere movie camera in a park charms a woman into turning the crank. After bearing his child while he's enlisted in the French army, the man is killed in action, leaving his widow and son with posthumous medals. The focus shifts to a general who awards the medals and later marries a chorus girl, only to discover her infidelity and murder her. The narrative then transitions through historical events such as the Romanov family's execution and the breakthrough of sound recording, leading to World War II and the Holocaust. The film introduces Rachel Stern, the daughter of the general's murdered wife, and David Goldman, the son of the Lumiere camera operator. They connect as Jewish concentration camp survivors, exchange family photos, and later conceive a child named Sarah. The film transitions to color as Sarah grows up, becoming the spitting image of her deceased mother. On her 16th birthday, Sarah loses her virginity to a French pop star. Meanwhile, Simon Duroc, a petty criminal, gets caught and sent to jail. He befriends a cook and learns photography. Sarah and Simon, both marked by troubled pasts, unknowingly share similar traits. As the years pass, Sarah struggles with failed relationships, attempting suicide at one point. Desperate to help Sarah move on, her father takes her on a global trip, recalling discussions he had with Rachel. Despite his advice, Sarah remains entangled in misplaced love. Simon, now released from jail, starts making a living taking surveillance photos and later ventures into adult film making. Sarah's life takes her to Italy, where she attempts to get pregnant with a friend's help but faces failure. Simon and his friend Charles find success making a controversial porn film. The two storylines intersect at a party, leading to Simon and Charles' arrest. Sarah, now writing about her upbringing, agrees to marry an Italian man but divorces him shortly after. Her father dies, prompting Simon to pursue his dream of making a feature film. Simon's film, marred by bitterness, receives poor reviews, forcing him back to making commercials. Unbeknownst to each other, Sarah and Simon work in the same building. Sarah, realizing the wisdom of her father, proposes progressive changes to his company but faces resistance from a union agitator. Simon, disillusioned with advertising, embarks on his autobiographical film, reenacting events from his life. Two near meets between Simon and Sarah occur, but they remain oblivious to each other. Simon's film becomes a success, and Sarah watches his interview on TV. In the climax, Sarah leaves her stable but dull relationship to go to New York and raise money for Israel. Simultaneously, Simon also heads to New York for inspiration. Their paths cross at the airport, and they find themselves seated next to each other on the plane. The film concludes with their luggage on a conveyor belt, symbolizing their connection.

Lelouch used the principle of Simultaneous Bilingual Film Production in making this film: for each camera setup, the actors performed twice (in English and in French), so that neither the French language nor English language prints are dubbed or subtitled. Many autobiographical elements come into play, especially in the arc of the Simon Duroc character. Like Duroc, Lelouch's first feature film was widely panned, and his successful follow up A Man and a Woman featured a sequence on the Deauville beach. The original French version had a more dramatic ending, with the plane carrying Sarah and Simon crashing after their meeting, signifying the completion of their shared destiny.

The movie uses many songs by French singer Gilbert Bécaud, who also plays a fictional version of himself in the movie. For the American release, captions indicated the names of his songs and when he was singing them, as well as other lesser known French pop songs and performers. This was instrumental in demonstrating that Bécaud, who was not a familiar figure to English speaking audiences, was a crucial element to the story, in that both protagonists are obsessed with him and his music, and that his presence was constantly hovering over their lives.