(French w/English subtitles)

Jean-Paul Rappeneau is a writer/director not well known in this country because his out put hasn’t been prolific. His most famous film is a rousing treatment of "Cyrano De Bergerac" (1990) with Gerard Depardieu, but he first won acclaim as a writer working with Louis Malle on the comedy "Zazie dans let Metro" (1960). In 1964 he shared an Oscar nomination with Philippe de Broca for "That Man from Rio," a breezy caper film starring Jean Paul Belmondo. Rappeneau brings the same lite touch that marked his early collaborations to "Bon Voyage" but with a more serious subtext - capitulation by the French to demands of the Nazis at the advent of WWII.

The ageless Isabelle Adjani is the amorously amoral Viviane, a femme fatale of sorts who attaches herself to anyone who can advance her career or guarantee her safety. She is a flame that attracts lovers like moths. Powerful men can’t stay away from her or refuse her anything. Viviane has a disagreement with an old lover and calls up her childhood boyfriend, aspiring novelist Frederic (Gregori Derangere) to dispose of the old man’s car. An accident, a corpse in the trunk, and the celebrity of the dead man guarantee Frederic’s incarceration - at least until the Nazis invade. Frederic escapes, Viviane makes due bouncing from suitor to suitor as the need arises vying for the attention of a government official (Gerard Depardieu) one day and the affection of a journalist (Peter Coyote) the next causing mayhem wherever she goes. Things get serious when a renowned physicist (Jean Marc Stehle) tries to smuggle heavy water - a necessary ingredient for an atomic bomb - across the English Channel. The journalist - Coyote - reveals his true character, Frederic comes to the rescue with a fellow prison escapee (Yvan Attal) who has a penchant for fine wines, government officials conspire to acquiesce to the Nazis, and Viviane has everyone momentarily abandoning their duties - both moral, civil and patriotic - in pursuit of her favors.

"Bon Voyage" is a carefully orchestrated blend of genres with Viviane as the spark that ignites each and Frederic - not far behind - as the catalyst that brings them all together. The movie is sometimes funny, sometimes thrilling, and often entertaining. It occasionally runs out of steam, pauses to catch its breath, and then takes off again, especially when the Nazis take over. With new enemies, a new love interest, the physicist’s assistant (Virginie Ledoyen), come new problems and a change of pace. Ultimately, "Bon Voyage" is odd mixture of espionage, romance, comedy, farce, murder and mayhem.

Copyright 2004