Going Places (Les Valseuses)

Bertrand Blier made Going Places, known in French as Les Valseuses, in 1974, a French dark comedy-drama. Adapted from his own 1972 novel, a publishing success, it was his second fiction feature after Si j'étais un espion (1967). Its tone is provocative and subversive. Running about 118 minutes, it is regarded as one of the most controversial films in French cinema, and thanks to the acclaim Blier later won it has become a cult film for modern critics.

The story follows two young drifters, Jean-Claude and Pierrot, who drag a hairdresser's assistant, Marie-Ange, along on an aimless run across France. Gérard Depardieu, Patrick Dewaere and Miou-Miou play the trio, and all three had their first important film roles here. Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Fossey and, in one of her first parts, Isabelle Huppert also appear, as do Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte.

Shooting took place in the summer of 1973 around Valence in the Drôme and at Le Touquet in the Pas-de-Calais. The film opened in France on 20 March 1974 with a ban on minors. Though badly received by critics, it won the public with over three million viewers, and the triumph made Blier, Depardieu, Miou-Miou and Dewaere known to a wide audience.