Henry Miller
This quote from the author of Quiet Days in Clichy, which was first published in 1956, accurately sums up the underlying philosophy of the 1970 film version. Here is an unabashedly frank and freewheeling account of Miller's years as an unemployed writer in Paris during the early thirties when he was hanging out with his friend, Alfred Perles. Together, these two men (named Carl and Joey, respectively) pursue sexual pleasure as a full-time vocation, cavorting with prostitutes when they have any money or seducing easy women from the local street cafes and bars. Work, marriage, respectability, the status quo - these aren't part of Carl and Joey's universe. Instead their daily routine is ruled by simple physical desires - sex, hunger, thirst (for alcohol) -and Quiet Days in Clichy documents their hedonistic adventures in often graphic but amusing detail. Though virtually plotless, Jens Jorgen Thorsen's film version captures the spirit, if not the literary quality, of Miller's collection of Parisian vignettes and introduces us to a cast of lowlife characters rarely encountered on the screen. It's also interesting to note that another Henry Miller film adaptation, Tropic of Cancer (1970), was filmed in Paris the same year as Quiet Days in Clichy, often sharing the same streets and locations.
A missing film for many years, Quiet Days in Clichy, has been saved from obscurity by Blue Underground and is now available in a deluxe DVD edition. Though not recommended for the easily offended, the movie should be of interest to anyone interested in Henry Miller's work or the depiction of sex on the screen. Treading a thin line between the erotic and the hard-core, Quiet Days in Clichy features explicit male and female nudity and scenes of real lovemaking (the streetwalkers in the movie are played by real prostitutes). Yet, despite the often sordid surroundings and situations, most of the film has a lighthearted, upbeat tone, aided immensely by a catchy music score which is sung and played by Country Joe McDonald. On a technical level, the film is reminiscent of the work of the French and British 'New Wave' directors. You'll catch visual quotes from Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Richard Lester and others that integrate thought-bubble cartoons, photographs and pre-MTV music-driven montages into the narrative.
Yet, for all of its anti-establishment nose-thumbing and celebration of the bohemian lifestyle, Quiet Days in Clichy is indefensible on some levels, particularly in its sexist viewpoint. Like most of Miller's work, there is a strong undercurrent of misogynism running through the film, which is particularly apparent in the scene with Carl and an emotionally fragile prostitute who is filled with gratitude for his kindness to her. When Carl gives this desperate woman his last bit of change, she falls to the ground sobbing, overwhelmed by his gesture. Instead of feeling compassion, however, Carl is repulsed and walks away in disgust, asking her, "What's the matter with you? Hasn't anyone ever treated you decently before?" While condescending in its view of this woman, this scene also serves as an indictment of Carl's smug superiority. And in many ways, Quiet Days in Clichy could be viewed as a critique of male desire in all of its bloated, self-satisfied glory. Unfortunately, few people got a chance to debate the finer points of this since Quiet Days in Clichy received scant distribution in the United States; it was impounded by U.S. Customs officials in Los Angeles and banned in such countries as England, Canada, and even Sweden!
The Blue Underground DVD of Quiet Days in Clichy comes with several appealing extras such as "Songs of Clichy," an interview with Country Joe McDonald in which he recalls a concert where his hilariously dirty lyrics got him into trouble with a crowd of feminists. There is also an excellent interview with Henry Rosset, Henry Miller's editor and publisher, who discusses Miller's response to the film along with candid comments about the production (he hated Paul Valjean's performance as Carl, a dead ringer for Miller). Other extras include a poster and still gallery, court documents on the censorship of the film, and interactive musical menu screens. There really isn't a downside to the disk except for the lack of optional subtitles. Even though Quiet Days in Clichy was a Danish production, it was apparently shot in English which was post-synched and it often has that annoying quality that English-dubbed movies often possess - the feeling that you aren't hearing the actual actors speak their own lines (in most cases, it's rarely the original actors speaking).
For more information about Quiet Days in Clichy, visit Blue Underground. To purchase a copy of Quiet Days in Clichy, visit TCM Shopping.
by Jeff Stafford
