With the holiday season approaching, it’s worth recalling the admiration of one of the greatest filmmakers in world cinema, Stanley Kubrick, for Claude Lelouch’s delightful police comedy ‘Happy New Year!’ (La Bonne Année).
According to the plot, after being released from prison — apparently as part of a New Year’s amnesty — Simon tries to put his life back together. His fate was shaped not only by his daring plan to rob a luxurious jewelry store in Cannes, but also by a seductive antique dealer he met there. This is the story of Happy New Year!, released in 1973. Thanks to its skillful screenplay, this charming film, brought to life by the brilliant performances of Lino Ventura and Françoise Fabian, won the hearts of countless viewers.
And while the film was warmly received in France, the French were not alone in their enthusiasm. Happy New Year! was also on the list of favorite films of one of the most renowned directors in the world — Stanley Kubrick.
Kubrick typically drew inspiration from films he particularly loved. For example, he borrowed many directorial ideas from the 1952 French film Le Plaisir when making Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut. In the same way, Happy New Year! was a major source of inspiration for him, and he was a great admirer of the film. Kubrick even regularly screened it for some of his actors before filming. While working on Eyes Wide Shut, he showed it to Tom Cruise. Kubrick was not the only Hollywood figure to cherish Happy New Year! — Robert De Niro is also a well-known fan of the film.
This elegant crime comedy, which was remade in 1987, won numerous awards. It earned Lino Ventura the Sant Jordi Award (the most prestigious film prize in Catalan cinema) for Best Actor in a Foreign Film, as well as awards for Françoise Fabian and Lino Ventura at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. In addition, the film received the Triumph of Cinema Award and the David di Donatello Award, Italy’s equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival. Of course, these honors may not rival a Golden Globe or five Academy Award nominations, but they still represent an impressive achievement.
