La meilleure façon de marcher (1976) User Reviews

Walk like a man

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 18 August 2012]

Our main interest in watching this film was the presence of Patrick Dewaere, one of France's best actors of his generation, sadly no longer alive, and Claude Miller's film debut. Not having seen it, the occasion arose when it was shown on a French international cable network.

The story is set in a summer camp where counselors have different groups of boys under their care. Marc, one of the leaders of the men in charge, is a popular man among his peers and the boys under him. Philippe, a quiet young man has a group he is rehearsing for a play in which his boys will participate. The play includes a boy in drag, impersonating a princess in the fantasy he is directing. Philippe happens to be the son of the camp director, but like the others, he does not receive special privileges.

One day Marc, passing by Philippe's room, catches him dressing as a woman, something that shocks him as well as surprises him. Marc begins acting strangely, but there is no actual confrontation about what he perceived as Philippe's odd behavior. Philippe begins to feel the other counselors' sneers, although no one openly accuses him of anything specific. All that comes to an end when Marc takes it upon himself to harass Philippe.

The object of Marc's revenge is Chantal, a woman whose picture Philippe keeps on his window. In Marc's mind, he believes there is something wrong with Philippe in pursuing a woman, when in reality he must crave after men. To prove he is 'normal' Philippe forces himself upon Chantal with terrible results. Marc's masculinity is pitted against Philippe's own ambivalence. Everything comes to a head during the performance Philippe is staging as he comes out dressed as a woman who goes against Marc in a bullfighter's costume.

"The Best Way to Walk" was an ambitious project, even for the more liberal French cinema. It was a film that freed taboos, as male nudity is shown in full view. Claude Miller showed daring in his approach to the material. The all male camp was probably a hotbed for acts of homosexuality, which seems to be reinforced by the way Philippe behaves in his relationship with his young charges and the way he dressed when he was alone. Written by Mr. Miller and Luc Beraud, this was a film ahead of its times.

The intense Patrick Dewaere made an impact in his take of Marc. He was an actor that always delivered, as he does in here. If Mr. Dewaere was good, his co-star Patrick Bouchitay made quite an impression as Philippe. This actor, who had it all, suffered from type casting after the completion of the picture, something sad because he probably missed on a lot of opportunities where to shine. Christine Pascal appeared as Chantal, the love interest of Philippe. A young Michel Blanc is seen as Deloux.

The Miller's Tale

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 15 March 2006]

From my point of view Miller is uneven; I disliked for example his tampering with Checkhov in La Petite Lili as much as I enjoyed his Betty Fisher and/or Garde Vue. Now thirty years old The Best Way To Walk probably qualifies as 'middle period' and is no worse for that. There will be those who will see echoes of Ben Gazzara's Jocko de Paris (End As A Man) and point to the similarities between a France Holiday camp and an American Military Academy albeit such comparisons don't really hold water. Irwin Shaw was writing about Summer Camps at around the same time, notably in Voices Of A Summer Day and he was, of course, an ex-counsellor himself but Claude Miller has been reasonably creative in his portrayal of a warts-and-all boys camp in rural France and a particularly intense love-hate relationship destined to end in tears. The acting is uniformly excellent though both leading actors were unable to realise their potential - one died prematurely the other was unfairly typecast as a 'drag queen' and had to watch the work dry up. Released in 1976 this was a refreshing antidote to the left-over pretentiousness of the New Wave and arguably one of the key films of 1970s French Cinema.

A film for the humiliated ones.

[dbdumonteil · 10/10 · 23 June 2004]

Claude Miller's most important work is today stronger than it was in 1976.It's a must ,the French cinema at its most ambitious ,at its deepest,at its best.And nothing intellectual,nothing to do with the nouvelle vague pretentiousness,"la meilleure façon de marcher" is accessible to all those who have eyes and ears.

It features one of the strongest actors confrontations which can be seen on a screen:the sadly missed Dewaere and the subtle Bouchitey literally live their part,they are so real we have the very rare feeling of knowing them intimately.So intense Bouchitey's performance was that afterward he did not get the roles he did deserve:the directors stayed with the picture of a "drag queen" .

"La meilleure façon de marcher" pits the virile macho boy against the intellectual sensitive guy.It brings out the mechanics of the humiliation.It deals with the demanding subject of our "skeletons in the closet" ,our hidden odd habits ,all that we want to hide from the outside world.It would be too simple to consider Philippe's one (dressing up as a woman)as a very rare occurrence ."I'm sure I could find something in your room" he screams to Marc,who has discovered his secret and then makes him his punching bag.In a world in seclusion such as a boys holiday camp in 1960,where women are absent (with the exception of Philippe's fiancée,who only appears in the second part),there are secrets beyond any door:from the children who hide a pornographic paper under a Mickey Mouse comic strip to the epileptic counselor who 's got dirty pictures under his pillow.And the ones who

look "normal",like the hairy Marc,are they as "straight" as they seem?

Marc is probably in love with Philippe and as he cannot bring himself to take the plunge ,he humiliates him to death .Hatred rises ,reaching unbelievable heights,culminating in this unbearable scene when Marc forces Philippe to eat his own vomit.

The dialog is close to perfection:full of allusions,of threatening sentences,of veiled accusations;and what is left unsaid is all the more disturbing.Most of the time,we really feel ill-at -ease.That's why Claude Pieplu's part is so necessary:a comic relief ,his suggestion box is irresistibly funny.Deprived of these hilarious sequences,the movie would be desperate.

But Claude Miller wanted his demeaned characters to rebel;the first one in the pool where the one of the counselors says f..... you to the director.But the best comes when Philippe,in his woman's dress (A Spanish dancer) invites Marc ,dressed up as a toreador ,to dance.You should notice that in Marc's room,there was a poster of a toreador fighting a bull."What's making me itch,is making you itch too!" he cries out as his persecutor pretends to find it funny but in fact has to force himself to laugh.

Miller's intelligence shines in the last sequence too when he puts his characters back in "normal " life.The two "enemies" act as if nothing happened .Their behaviour stems from the establishment which does not know deviancy .Now that Philippe exists socially speaking,he's respectable ,even if he does not plan to get marry -as Marc is -,he's no longer a victim.Generally you find punching bags in schools ,holiday camps or barracks,in places where frustration leads to search for someone to spit at (generally people who do not like sports,like in Minnelli 's 'tea and sympathy ",which certainly influenced Miller)).

A film that cannot be praised too highly.

Difference leads to humiliation, until...

[paws-7 · 9/10 · 12 July 2005]

This film shows marvelously well how adult people can act like children and be cruel exactly in the same way. As everybody knows, if you are different (best example: you don't like sports...), you always can find a bastard to make fun of you. Here, the "bastard" is played by Patrick Dewaere. What makes him really dangerous is that he is intelligent enough to never offer his victim, Patrick Bouchitey, a way to get out of his mental claws. He has found the "weakness" of his prey, and he doesn't let her go. Until... He has this kind of "stupid" intelligence, which makes him very able to get control over the others, but totally unable to perceive what's going on inside of himself. And at the end, he will be the one who will be depicted as the "loser", with his small suit and briefcase, being married without any real choice. Claude Miller never let his characters talk to much. He is a master in organizing what's left unsaid, showing here a glance and letting there a question unanswered...He makes us get into the emotions of Patrick Bouchitey's character, he makes us feel uneasy. Even the presence of the fiancée doesn't really ease the pain, because we feel that it could lead to more humiliation.Until...

Dewaere's shadow

[Vincentiu · 10/10 · 30 December 2006]

In a holiday camp the dispute between two instruction. The first- the classical virile image: brutal, sure-footed, sarcastic and charming. The second- unobtrusive, delicate,responsive, gentle and in womanhood kind. An imprudence of powerful hero is the beginning of a subtle and ambiguous fight. The victim is easy prey and the instruments are not little. But, in a strange scene of party, the domination is for both same overwhelming, it is a form of captivity in the other's image. And not about homosexuality, a cruel game in fall or about a good moral can talks. It is a basic rule of any relation. Of any admiration/competition gesture, of any summer who is not only a vacation's time.

The merit of Claude Miller is to suggest the deep desire who lives in same relation. To define the behavior of an accidentally master and his obvious fear for the victim's acts. In same time, the film is a beautiful pledge for tolerance, for self understanding thanks to respect for the other. A movie about difference and the limit of common racism. A anti-macho film. But, before the moral, a nostalgic word about lost world.

Patrick Dewaere is gorgeous in his character. Every shade of acting is subtle expressed, with precision and interesting art.

So, in his memory, like remember of his lost, I saw " La meilleure facon de marcher" at a homage for a great actor, too.

La Meilleure Façon De Marcher : A great ''Claude Miller" film with excellent performances by two Patricks :) Patrick Dewaere and Patrick Bouchitey.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 10/10 · 18 June 2013]

In the history of French cinema, "La Meilleure Façon De Marcher" is considered an important film for two main reasons. Firstly, it is the best film directed by French director Claude Miller who has made extremely personal films about his protagonists: young and old alike, who show tremendous intellectual growth in order to emerge victorious despite facing tough personal problems. He was inspired by the giant of Swedish cinema Ingmar Bergman who once remarked that it is after having faced humiliation that a person gets the chance to be mature in life. This film is highly authentic as it is true to life in its depiction of events which happen both in a camp setting as well as in an educational setup. One has to simply watch one of his film better films "L'Effrontée" starring Charlotte Gainsbourg in order to comprehend how close he places himself in order to understand the tough world of his protagonists. Secondly, this is an ideal film for learning more about famous French actor Patrick Dewaere who has excelled in anti hero role. The best way to walk is entertaining in its own manner while revealing a straight relationship angle involving an oppressor and his oppressed victim. As there is a free exchange of feelings and sentiments between these two persons, one gets the feeling that there is some sort of mutual appreciation for each other despite some simmering tension. From this film, it has been established without doubt that apart from the greatest "God" of French actors Monsieur Jean Gabin, if there is an actor who displays tremendous sense of screen presence and a range of diverse performances in French cinema then it is Patrice Dewaere who has won innumerable hearts with his films. In 'La Meilleure Façon De Marcher", one can retain his attitude of meanness with serenity. It is a shame that some so called established critics have failed to correctly assess this film's qualities as one of them has observed that this film suffers from a weak end which is utter non sense as it is a perfect device to depict two different time periods in which the film's protagonists have lived. One can conclude this film's assessment by stating that it shows that the best way to walk in any situation is to put best foot forward. It also depicts that one can tell the truth but have to be ready to pay the prize for doing it.

Pay attention to what is on the screen

[jromanbaker · 5/10 · 26 April 2021]

I firmly believe this is a well made film, and the succession of humiliations in a Summer camp for boys is shown at times in gruelling detail. Male nudity is explicit, and both Dewaere and Bouchitey give excellent performances. It says a lot for the homophobia of the times in France that the latter actor was not given as good as, or arguably better, roles afterwards. I do not want to go too much into the tragic death of Dewaere, except to ask why was he driven to the act? A man can be driven to suicide, and the reasons are not clear. I want to pay attention to what I see on the screen. Everyone has their own vision of what is there, and what I see in 'La meilleure facon de marcher' is a murky display of ambiguity. My conclusion after watching this film twice in one go (I had not seen it for decades) is that the ambiguity of sexuality and sado-masochism is Claude Miller's avoidance of facing (to me) the obvious. Both persecutor and persecuted are playing cat and mouse with their homosexuality and the battlefield of their relationship is a mutual fear of 'coming out'. This was a mainstream film. Gay/Queer cinema was thin on the ground in the 1970's, and because of that, the 'suspense' on the screen is manufactured to put the audience more at ease with the subject matter. The ending is implausible and neatly wraps the whole thing up with a totally false albeit ambiguous sense of an odd sort of 'normality'. That is what I see on the screen, and frankly it let in a little fresh air on so called deviation from the norm, but not enough to make the audiences in the Champs-Elysees cinemas feel threatened or insecure. The scenario of the film is like Salome's dance of the seven veils, and shedding two of them is quite enough, thank you. The great Bruno Nuytten and his camera does well, but for me was too soft focused. A 5 for the film's intensity, despite the gaping hole of truth at the centre.