Un Singe En Hiver (aka A Monkey In Winter) (1961)

Set in a coastal town in France, two men from different generations meet up. One (Jean Gabin) is an innkeeper frustrated with the monotonous normality of his life and the other (Jean Paul Belmondo) is an advertising executive who has fantasies of being a Spanish bullfighter. Based on the novel by Antoine Blondin and directed by Henri Verneuil (THE SICILIAN CLAN). This is a rather poignant look at two men whose lives didn't turn out the way they wanted it to. It's no coincidence that one (Gabin) is an ex-alcoholic and the other (Belmondo) is a drunk. Alcohol lets them live out their fantasies. I don't find drunks amusing and a lengthy segment with Gabin and Belmondo on a drinking binge was near intolerable for me. Other than that, I found the film well acted and engrossing. Strikingly shot in wide screen B&W, the film might have benefited from color especially during the fireworks sequence. The lovely score is by Michel Magne. With Suzanne Flon and Paul Frankeur.