Claire's Knee (1970)
Jean-Claude Brialy: Jérôme
Photos
Quotes
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Aurora, the novelist : She disturbs you? How? Her body?
Jerome : Yes, the way she looks, since it's all I know about her. We've hardly ever spoken. I find it quite difficult to talk to her.
Aurora, the novelist : Well, well. She intimidates you.
Jerome : I feel absolutely powerless around girls like that.
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Jerome : Every woman has her most vulnerable point. For some, it's the nape of the neck, the waist, the hands. For Claire, in that position, in that light, it was her knee.
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Jerome : The turmoil she arouses in me gives me a sort of right over her.
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Jerome : She arouses a desire in me that's real yet has no purpose and is all the stronger because of it. Pure desire. A desire of nothing. I don't wish to act on it, but it bothers me to feel it. I didn't think I'd ever desire a woman again. And I don't even really want her. If she threw herself at me, I'd refuse.
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Aurora, the novelist : It's very simple. Place your hand on her knee. That will excise the desire.
Jerome : It's not simple at all. That's the hardest thing to do. A caress has to be accepted. It would be easier to seduce her.
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Jerome : Basically, I love thin, delicate girls. All the girls I've known and loved were too hardy, in my opinion.
Aurora, the novelist : Hardy?
Jerome : Lucinde, for example, is quite athletic, though in a way I rather like her sporty side. But if I had a woman made to order, I think I'd give Claire's measurements.
Aurora, the novelist : Yes, she has a lovely figure. I think she'll grow to be a very beautiful woman. I mean she'll fill out in all the right places. You know, all these slender, pretty girls - I'm sure you've noticed. At 30, very few are still beautiful. But I think Claire will stand up to the onslaught.
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Laura : I was born to be unhappy. But no, I won't be unhappy. I'm very happy. I only think of positive things. People are unhappy because they want to be. When I feel down, I think about how there are happy times and that crying does no good anyway. I think about how marvelous it is to be here and how much fun I'm going to have.
Jerome : What do you call having fun?
Laura : Having fun is being alive. For instance, today I'm very happy. Tomorrow I may be sad. So then I make myself think of something else. I concentrate on one specific thing and how fantastic it is, and I'm happy for the rest of the day.
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Jerome : What are you doing on this bridge? You know it's the Lovers' Bridge?
Aurora, the novelist : My coffee grounds predicted an encounter, but it was only you. You didn't even recognize me. Have I changed that much?
Jerome : Not at all. You're prettier and younger than ever. But, I was steering the boat and, besides, I don't look at the ladies anymore. That's right. I'm getting married.
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Madame Walter : I was 15. I despised young boys. Besides, you never paid attention to me.
Jerome : Excuse me, but I remember very well. You had bouffant hair and a blue bicycle.
Madame Walter : I wore my hair straight and had a black bicycle. You're thinking of Bernadette Piccard.
Jerome : Ah, right, I didn't look at the older girls. They scared me.
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Jerome : Why tie myself down with one woman if others still interested me? Since I've been with Lucinde, we've both had affairs, and I've come to realize that all other women leave me cold. I can't even tell one from the other. They're all the same.
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Aurora, the novelist : I follow the characters' impulses. Their own logic drives them on.
Jerome : But you help.
Aurora, the novelist : No, I never invent. I discover.
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Jerome : I don't really have a type. Looks don't matter to me. That is, beyond a certain level of acceptability. All women are equal. It's the character alone that counts.
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Aurora, the novelist : Let me tell you something. Last year I wanted to test my charms on very young boys. The young generation is a complete unknown to me. Incomprehensible. A total mystery. I settled on the number five in one week.
Jerome : Five!
Aurora, the novelist : Actually, I had three. Very handsome, all of them.
Jerome : Did you enjoy it, apart from the glory of conquest?
Aurora, the novelist : It was very nice. I could have gone on. But since it was a matter of ego, and ego is quickly satisfied, at least, in this area, I prefer to wait. I know how to wait. Waiting is pleasant in and of itself.
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Jerome : When something pleases me, I do it for pleasure.
