Place de la République (1974)

Louis Malle: Self

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Louis Malle, Himself : Excuse me, sir. Did you realize we've been filming you for 15 minutes? Do you realize we've been filming you?

  Old Man : What?

  Louis Malle, Himself : Filming.

  Old Man : Filming me? No.

  Louis Malle, Himself : You didn't notice?

  Old Man : Not at all.

  Louis Malle, Himself : Do you live on the area?

  Old Man : What?

  Louis Malle, Himself : Do you live on the area?

  Old Man : No.

  Louis Malle, Himself : Are you from Paris?

  Old Man : No.

• Louis Malle, Himself : We filmed for ten days on a short stretch of sidewalk on the Place de la République. The concept was simple: with camera and mic in plain view, we struck up conversations with passers-by.

• Young Woman : We've attracted a crowd.

  Louis Malle, Himself : Think they're looking at you?

  Young Woman : They're looking at you, not me.

  Louis Malle, Himself : How do you know?

  Young Woman : I'm sure of it.

• Louis Malle, Himself : Are you happy?

• Wig Saleslady : This is a man's hairpiece.

  Louis Malle, Himself : For balding men?

  Wig Saleslady : Not just that. Some people want...

  Louis Malle, Himself : A change of color?

  Wig Saleslady : Yes, or as a joke. I work a lot with the, eh, the "men" let's say, who perform at Madame Arthur's place.

  Louis Malle, Himself : Homosexuals?

  Wig Saleslady : Right.

• Female Lab Worker : Happiness? Oh, you know. Depends on what you call happiness. Once you've got a job and everything you need. I'd be happy with a husband who provided everything. No need to work. I'd have my kids. That's what I call happiness.

  Louis Malle, Himself : You don't have that?

  Female Lab Worker : No. I think if a woman has to work, leave in the morning, return home at night, plus do all the housekeeping, that's not happiness. That's slavery.

• Female Lab Worker : I think happiness is when you work alone, the husband comes home, and everything's ready. That's happiness. A guy in his slippers, a cozy nest. That's happiness. Don't you think? A man should provide everything for his wife.

  Louis Malle, Himself : Some women don't believe that now.

  Female Lab Worker : Why? Is it selfish?

  Louis Malle, Himself : Some women are completely opposed to those ideas. A woman should work just like a man. It's important for her freedom.

  Female Lab Worker : Because they don't like housekeeping. They don't want kids.

• Female Lab Worker : I worked in a laboratory. The diseases and microbes you can catch from those people.

  Louis Malle, Himself : Foreigners?

  Female Lab Worker : Yes. From the French too. It's not just the foreigners.

• Female Lab Worker : Fate led me to marry a Frenchman, but I could easily have married a Spaniard or an Italian.

  Louis Malle, Himself : An Algerian?

  Female Lab Worker : No. No. Algerian, no. No way. I'd be scared of him. They're not straight with you.

  Louis Malle, Himself : An African?

  Female Lab Worker : No, no way. Even less chance of that.