Pardon Mon Affaire

Pardon Mon Affaire

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1976
Founder	Yves Robert (director and co-writer)
Products	Romantic comedy film

Pardon Mon Affaire () is a 1976 French romantic comedy co-written and directed by Yves Robert. The cast includes Jean Rochefort, Claude Brasseur, Guy Bedos, Victor Lanoux, Danièle Delorme, and Anny Duperey.

The original French title plays on the word "trompe," which simultaneously means "elephant's trunk" and "to cheat" in a romantic context. The storyline follows a married man who becomes infatuated with a model he encounters, leading him to contemplate an affair.

This film was succeeded by the sequel Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! in 1977. An American adaptation titled The Woman in Red, directed by and starring Gene Wilder, premiered in 1984.

Plot

In Paris, four men in their forties regularly gather for tennis and camaraderie: Étienne Dorsay, a high-ranking civil servant with a wife and two teenage daughters; Simon, a doctor prone to hypochondria living under his domineering mother’s roof; Bouly, a habitual womanizer trapped in an unstable marriage; and Daniel, a car salesman leading a concealed double life. Étienne’s wife Marthe is engaged in university studies and fends off the advances of a young admirer.

One morning, Étienne notices Charlotte, a photographic model, striking a pose reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s famous skirt-blowing scene. Captivated instantly, he pursues her despite his marital commitments. Charlotte invites him to London for a modeling assignment. Étienne deceives Marthe by claiming a business trip, but his flight is diverted to Brussels due to fog.

Back in Paris, Daniel assists by covering for Étienne during an unexpected birthday celebration organized by his family. Later, Étienne’s friends arrange a meeting with Charlotte at her apartment where their mutual attraction culminates in intimacy.

The following morning, Charlotte’s husband returns unexpectedly early, forcing Étienne into a precarious position on the ledge outside her eighth-floor apartment. As they close the window during their encounter, Étienne becomes trapped, attracting onlookers who mistake him for attempting suicide. The fire brigade arrives with a safety net amid media attention observed by friends and family below. Charlotte departs with her husband; Étienne notices an alluring reporter in the crowd and leaps into the net, proclaiming he is “only at the beginning of [his] ascent.”

Cinematic references

The film’s opening features Anny Duperey dancing over an air vent that causes her skirt to billow—an homage to Marilyn Monroe’s iconic scene from The Seven Year Itch, directed by Billy Wilder.

Homosexual character

Claude Brasseur portrayed one of the earliest positive homosexual roles in French cinema. Though initially hesitant due to concerns from his agent, Brasseur insisted on treating the character Daniel with dignity rather than resorting to clichés. He also requested inclusion of a fight scene to add complexity. When Daniel’s sexuality is disclosed, his partner verbally attacks him before shocked friends—a sequence Brasseur viewed as challenging societal prejudices while illustrating private vulnerability.

Turkish version

Director Ertem Eğilmez created a Turkish adaptation set around an Istanbul advertising executive. Featuring well-known local actors, this version achieved cult status among Turkey’s upper social classes.

Accolades

Award	Year	Category	Nominee(s)	Outcome
César Awards	1977	Best Supporting Actor	Claude Brasseur	Template:Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Anny Duperey	Template:Nom
		Best Screenplay, Dialogue or Adaptation	Jean-Loup Dabadie	Template:Nom
Golden Globe Awards	1978	Best Foreign Language Film	Pardon Mon Affaire	Template:Nom

See also

• Pardon Mon Affaire, Too!
• The Woman in Red (1984 film)