Marion Cotillard in My Sex Life... Or How I Got Into An Argument (1996)

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If you asked the typical American to describe the typical French film, he would come up with something like this movie. No action, minimal development. A group of neurotic intellectuals chain-smoking cigarettes and discussing women and Spinoza. Some of the main characters are even philosophy professors.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like Spinoza as much as the next guy. Come to think of it, the next guy doesn't really know who Spinoza is, and the other guys in line don't know anything either. And the occasional guy who does recognize Spinoza's name either doesn't know anything about his contribution to modern thought, or doesn't like the tedious little fart. There's only one guy who actually likes Spinoza, so it isn't hard to keep tabs on the Spinoza fan club, and I can give you his name and address in the Hague, if you like. So I guess I was right before - I like him as much as the next guy. I had to memorize some quick facts about him in a survey course. The usual stuff - major works, catch phrases, height, weight, on-base percentage. When the final exam was over, I promptly cleared Spinoza out of that valuable space in my brain, in order to have more room to store the Carling Philosophy.

A little known fact. Walt Disney's Spin and Marty was based on a joint biography of Spinoza and Martin Buber, in which the author used these two great philosophical giants, both Jewish men who were experts in Christian theology, to reconcile the seeming paradoxes in Judeo-Christian thought. Disney simplified it a bit, into a story of a rich kid and a regular kid who went to the same summer camp, but it still carried the profound essence and spiritual duality of the original.

By the way, for you non-French readers who don't know her, Marianne Denicourt is a beautiful woman.

Written by: Scoopy …Scoopy.net