Too much of everything

Sadly Over-hyped

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A book very hard to transfer to the screen;Charles Belmont was an ambitious director who has fallen into oblivion ,like his movie:it does not recreate the bayou atmosphere and the jazzy feel ;but it is a honorable attempt,saved by the actors ,all excellent.Jacques Perrin,with his youthful looks and his beaming smile, is ideally cast as Colin;Marie France Pisier,a cerebral actress, is at ease here ;and Alexandra Stewart ,as aristocratic Isis ,is eye candy (but not enough on the screen).Only Bernard Fresson,too "working class looking" is miscast.Last but not least,Claude Pieplu (and his high pitched voice)appears as a physician;and the delightful voice of Delphine Seyrig is the microphone when Colin becomes "announcer".This is not an easy movie ,some may feel like giving up before the end ;they shouldn't.A new version is to be filmed , starring Audrey Tautou.