Biyograficim
The Married Couple of the Year Two

The Married Couple of the Year Two (Les Mariés de l'an II)

Movie · 1971 · 15 people

Jean-Paul Rappeneau directed The Married Couple of the Year Two (Les Mariés de l'an II), a 98-minute French comedy-adventure that was picked for competition at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival after opening in France on 24 April that year. Made as a French-Italian co-production — some sources also credit Romania — it reached West German cinemas on 14 September 1972 under the title Musketier mit Hieb und Stich.

The story unfolds in the turbulent years of the French Revolution, amid the newborn Republic. At its center is a couple who want a divorce but are swept up in events. As the people rise against foreign invasions, the two try both to sort out their marriage and to survive. Jean-Paul Belmondo has the lead, with Marlène Jobert and Laura Antonelli among the main players. The screenplay is by Rappeneau, Claude Sautet and Maurice Clavel.

The title refers to the "Soldiers of Year II", the conscripts raised by mass mobilization in 1793 to defend the young French Republic against foreign invaders; "Year II" is the second year of the Republic in the revolutionary calendar. Made when divorce by mutual consent was not yet legal in France, the film also pays homage to Hollywood comedies of remarriage.

DirectorJean-Paul Rappeneau

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Belmondo Film actor · died at 88 Jacques Legras Jacques Legras Actor · died at 82 Marlène Jobert Laura Antonelli Sami Frey Michel Auclair Georges Beller Julien Guiomar Pierre Brasseur Paul Crauchet Charles Denner Jean Barney Billy Kearns Denise Péron François Cadet

More from this director

Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Telling the French Revolution not through great leaders but through a couple who want a divorce is a smart choice. The Revolution brings individual lives both new freedoms and chaos, and the film fits that duality into a marital dispute. Being made when divorce by mutual consent was not yet legal in France suggests that, while looking back at the revolutionary years, it was also putting a question to its own day. The nod in the title to the Soldiers of Year II sets personal liberation beside mass mobilisation. The film uses history as a comic frame rather than a textbook, so history buffs looking for depth may come away a little empty-handed.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

Revolutionary years, foreign invasions and a scramble to survive: the adventure side rests on solid ground. Having Belmondo in the lead adds star power too. But the adventure here serves a marriage comedy, and it looks like more sparring than fighting. Anyone wanting non-stop thrills may feel the pace sag in places. Right for someone after a light, lively period adventure.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

Its subject may be a husband and wife who want to divorce, but it is a comedy-adventure set during the revolutionary years. For teenagers it could be a good, entertaining way into the French Revolution. Younger children will not make much of the marriage-and-divorce theme and may find the historical background confusing. With a war on in the background, there may be some tense moments too. Best enjoyed with children of high-school age.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments