Vendredi ou un autre jour

The 18th century. A celebrated actor of the Comédie Française in Paris, Philippe de Nohan, is stranded after being shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Fortunately, his trusty dog and much of his baggage is cast ashore with him. In a cave by the coast, De Nohan surrounds himself with provisions and theatre paraphernalia, such as costumes and wigs. The bare, shimmering surroundings take him by surprise, as do memories from the past (memories in which the actresses Ornella Muti and Hanna Schygulla, among others, feature). Slowly but surely, De Nohan loses his grip on reality. But then, more or less by chance, a native islander comes his way. He calls him Friday. Friday or Another Day is a true cinematographic experience. The film is based on Michel Tournier's best-known book, Vendredi ou le limbes du Pacifique, which displays major parallels with Robinson Crusoe. With beautifully photographed, sepia-like scope images, the viewer shares in the desert-island experience. It is beautiful to see how the relationship between the charismatic Philippe de Nohan and Friday changes during the course of the film from a hierarchical to a more-or-less equal one. This is also Le Moine's aim: to make a detailed analysis of a human soul subjected to extreme loneliness, followed by the difficult learning process in which a relationship with someone else slowly builds up. A film about the relationship between the 'wild' and the 'cultivated' man. (EH)