Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-04-10

. Jle dupont JIledJtl, VII Judll,
French writer's, directors, and
performers participates in the
carnival identified by its very
title as adult, unrestrained, and
mockingly amused.
In sum, its ironic point is
that the human condition is no
longer comic. but sheer farce,
Making the point are such ex-
uberantly eloquent writer's and
directors as Eugene Ionesco,
claude Mauriac, Jean-Luc
Goddard, Felicien Marceau,
Claude Chabrol, and Roger
Vadim.
In view Of the history OF the
Seven Capital Sins. 1t is no
easy thing to deal with them
with originality. Rarely, how
ever. have they been revoked
with such candid cameras as
those used In the Dupont film.
If Paris couturieres have a
lobby. it had better get busy on
this tendency of French actress
eS to wear absolutely nothing.
However. they may rank in
the scale of honest sinners, the
capital misdemeanors vary con-
siderably In fun for mo~iegoers.
Take Sloth, or Laziness as it
is called here. A dull, negative
thing it sounds. Not. however,
as written and directed by
'Jean-Luc Goddard and acted
by Eddie Constantie and Nj
cole Mirel. M. Goddard deals
with it in a little fable about
a young actress who will do
anything to get in Mr.. Con-
.stantine's next picture. He's too
lazy to do anything, including
tie his own shoelace. Poor girl,
but good joke.
Even a lusty sin like Lust
gives way in the film to the
less promising one OF Pride by,
of all minor new wave scintil-
lants, Roger Vadim. Mr.. Vadim's
four character parable is about
a wife en- route to elopement
with her lover until she
chooses to abandon her trip
and defend the home when she
learns her husband is plan
ming to run away with his
mistress.
Ionesco cThe Rhinoceros")
makes Anger into one of the
more dramatic, and certainly
the most deadly, of the films
studies in sin. He chooses a
Sunday as his day of wrath.
1t is a limpidly, lovely day of
good will until lunchtime when
the Sunday soup, in home after
home, turns up with a fly in
1t. igniting a domestic fury I'M
til the entire Family Of Man
is wiped out.
The potential Of Envy as a
piece of cinematic jollity is ex-
plored by the younger Mauriac,
Claude. He sets his narrative in
one of those luxurious rural re-
treats to which tycoons retire
briefly with their youthful para
'mours. The presence of such a
pair in this particular hideout
upsets a serving maid who de-
cides to steal the tycoon for
herself. pulls off the coup with
ease, and lives to rue the day
she lost her chance to be
pinched blythe handsome, virile
young porter.
Less with the idea of prov
ing Greed a stupid moral lapse
than making 1t entertaining
film material. Dramatist Fe-
licien Marceau ("The Ego
comes up with one of the pic
lures more cheerful episodes.
The heroine, so to speak, OF
this one is an expensive Paris
courtesan who is won in a raf-
file by a handsome military
student and is so touched by
this expression Of public de-
mand that she returns him the
price Of his ticket.
Gluttony turns out to be a
defeatingly dull sin and Lust,
Of which so much might have
been expected of Frances new
wave. comes off as over-elabo-
rated.
AS the adjoining list OF
credits shows, however, The
Seven Capital Sins" represents