A while back I saw an early 1970s Montreal film called "Gina" that I really enjoyed. This same channel showed other late 1960s and early 1970s French Canadian films which I decided to tape. I must say I loved them all: "Loving and Laughing" and "Love in a Four Letter World" being the best of the bunch. The others included "Valerie", "The Awakening" and "Two Women in Gold". "Love in a Four Letter World" is about a family (husband,wife and daughter) who have become disillusioned with one another. The father has an affair and his daughter catches him in the act. She has already hooked up with the neighbouring free-love hippies who live next door. When her mother realizes her love has gone out the door she too travels next door for some lovin. This movie leans more on the serious side and can not be considered a comedy. "Loving and Laughing" is about an upper-class, young man named Reggie (played by one-time actor Gordon Fisher) who is enlisted to help a family friend's daughter in Vermont learn French over the summer. The only problem is that Reggie's car dies on the way south and he is then taken on by a travelling group of hippies escaping the law. Reggie is the straight-laced type who at first interacts rather uneasily with his hippie counterparts. But soon he learns to bond with his new friends and actually becomes a leader in their commune. The former leader of the commune is played by the great Andre Lawrence (of "Love in a Four Letter World" fame). His name is Luciean Leplame- a wanted drug infringement criminal. Both he and Reggie hatch a plan to cover up their tracks. Soon Lucien is headed for Vermont instead of Reggie to teach French lessons. The fun is only just beginning for both young men. There is lots of nudity in this film and some subtle slapstick as well. I would consider this movie a comedy for sure. The only real drawback with this film and the others (especially "Love in a Four Letter World") would have to be what appears to be voice-overs. In reality, the voices are the actual actors voices (in English) but the tracking is a bit off. AS well, the actors voices don't seem to be presented in a proper acting tone. They seem to be very loud and over-the-top. I wonder if this was done for a reason? Anyway, for me, the scripts in all of them are wonderful and the lines have a deeper meaning than the actual acting. Just listen to the words that are spoken to Susan Haven in "Love in a Four Letter World" to her dad when she catches him cheating on his wife, or the words spoken at the end of this movie when a local spiritual preacher on the streets of Montreal is talking to some locals. Great stuff!!
