Paul and Michelle (1974)

Here is an email I received from him a year ago (2014):Firstly, may I thank you so much for taking the time to write to express how those films made you feel... It was all such a long time ago now. But it has lingered in the hearts of so many and I am always humbled to receive mails from those for whom it had a special meaning.   As you say Anicee was a very beautiful kind lady. I have just had my 60th birthday a few days ago.... and am still receiving very touching letters from all over the world. I keep the fond memories of the making of the film in my heart and so appreciate the touching response from those who, like you, have taken the trouble to write to me. I recently made contact with a chap in Thailand at scorpion DVDs ( @ Amazon) Nathan has been kind enough to sell me a few copies of "Friends" that was released by Paramount Japan (so I am led to believe). It might be worth your while looking him up and seeing if he has a suitable copy for your part of the world. I know the copies work here in the UK as my step grand daughters have recently finally got to see it.   P and M was never released on DVD as far as I am aware. I have no contact with the industry I used to know since the small part I played in the Bond film "The Spy who loved me"... and I only did that because Lewis Gilbert was kind enough to ring me and ask if I wanted a small part in it..... so more out of curiosity than serious professional commitment I did it... with my elder brother in it too!   I have absolutely no IT qualifications I'm afraid so an electronic signature would not be possible. I would be interested to know if you manage to get a copy that suits your machine there as I do get asked more and more.   I think the film captured a moment in time of 2 young kids growing up in real life..... and Lewis's very careful handling of not only the characters but also of Anicee and myself during the process of rehearsals and subsequent shooting. The wonderfully good fortune of Elton's music and the musical arrangement of Paul Buckmaster..... like so many things in life..... you can have the best ingredients in a cooking pot.... but you are never sure of the outcome. The result was I still think just a very sweet little film that caught a moment in time that resonated with so many.   I thank you from the bottom of my heart and wish you both a wonderful continuation of life.... and may joy and happiness follow both you and Judith all your days.   Kind regards and very humbled   Sean Bury

I disagree with a reviewer who says that the music from the first film is "dreck" and that the music of this sequel is even worse. First off, I am prejudiced because I and my wife-to-be used "Michelle's Song" (Cast a pebble on the water, watch the ripples slowly spreading...) for our Wedding! To each his own.Actually, I found the melody of the song in Paul and Michelle to be very pretty, sweet... and ever so sad, particularly when played by a wind instrument at the very end of the movie! What I think that the other reviewer is noticing is the overly intellectual, just plain poor lyrics that go with that melody. The lyrics are too heavy and wordy and it kills the melody. The jazzy arrangement at the beginning of the film doesn't do justice to the melody, as the singer at the beginning of the film doesn't do justice to the melody either. So, on its own, the melody is not dreck or worse, it is hauntingly sad when played in its orchestral arrangement alone, but the lyrics and singing of the song using that tearful melody never should have happened!

CONTAINS SPOILER!!!! Although "Paul and Michelle" isn't as good as "Friends" as some would say it still holds its own. I actually saw this one before I saw the Friends. Anicee Alvina and Sean Bury still have good chemistry together. The thing about this movie that upset me was the ending. Why would the director wait three years to make a sequal and then in the end have the two seperate. I would have liked to see them stay together and get married. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a love story. There are quite a few good moments in the movie. But it's not as magical as "Friends".

"Paul and Michelle" begins three years after the title characters ended the story of "Friends." Although it is not as good as the original, the film comes together very well. In "Friends," a teen romantic classic, the British Paul and French Michelle ran away and lived together in a secluded romantic dream. In "Paul and Michelle," the couple must face the hardships and boredom of everyday life. They soon learn the responsibility of working for a living and bringing up the child they had in "Friends." In the beginning, Michelle and daughter Sylvie, who was born in "Friends," are living with Gary, a young American businessman in a French coastal town. The three have an almost normal family life in which Sylvie has bonded with Gary.Paul, now a college student, abandons academic life to search for Michelle. When he arrives in town, there is a very funny sequence when Paul keeps searching every street and shop for Michelle, and just keeps missing her every time. At last the two literally bump into each other on the street and embrace in a joyful reunion. The very gracious Gary, always knowing that Paul is the true love of Michelle's life, leaves to let Paul move into the apartment.The main plot of the story is Paul and Michelle's brutal discovery that it is tough to make their romantic love work in the everyday world. Having been raised with wealth, Paul finds the life of a working man difficult as he takes a job as a meatcutter to support his family. Paul and Michelle work jobs in different shifts and take turns watching Sylvie. Their jobs tire them out and raising an active three-year old wears the romance very thin. Paul finds it very hard to bond with his long-lost daughter. Even though she calls him "Daddy," it is a long time until she loves him as much as she loved Gary. The director highlights these realities by inserting a number of flashbacks of "Friends" to contrast with their new life.Paul misses his exciting student life. There is one anachronistic scene where Paul participates in a poor excuse for a 1960's style student riot that is broken up by the police. In a much more dramatic incident, Paul goes out to a bistro with a young woman friend, leaving Sylvie alone in the apartment. As you might guess, it isn't long before the active tyke gets out. When Michelle returns from work to find her daughter gone, and sees Paul outside with this woman, she nearly panics. Paul and Michelle have to chase all over town to rescue their daughter. Michelle is quite angry.I can relate to this story more today than I did in 1974, now that I'm older, married with children, and have been working for a living for many years. "Paul and Michelle" is not the dreamy classic you saw in "Friends," but the movie will entertain you as it portrays the strains of growing up and trying to keep romance alive in the real world.