Pardon Mon Affaire

Pardon Mon Affaire

Year: 1976

Runtime: 105 mins

Language: French

Director: Yves Robert

RomanceComedy

On an ordinary afternoon, Étienne, a devoted husband and father, is stunned by a beautiful woman in a flowing red dress. Though she quickly disappears, the image haunts him and he becomes obsessed with meeting her. He enlists three well‑meaning but clumsy friends—each secretly cheating on his own marriage—to help capture the elusive lady in red.

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Timeline & Setting – Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Pardon Mon Affaire (1976). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1970s

The comedy sits in a contemporary 1970s milieu, when fashion, media, and urban life shape flirtations and infidelity. TV crews and public spaces become stages for private lives to unfold, reflecting the era’s appetite for spectacle. The story uses a modern cityscape to explore midlife desire and social conventions of the time.

Location

Paris, London, Brussels

The story unfolds primarily in Paris, with key scenes around office car parks, apartments, and iconic streets like the Champs-Élysées. The city’s social circles and nightlife provide the backdrop for the four friends’ schemes and romantic escapades. At one point the action moves to London and Brussels, as Étienne pursues Charlotte, before returning to Paris for the climactic public spectacle.

🏙️ Urban hub 🇫🇷 French capital 🗺️ European cityscape

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:18

Main Characters – Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)

Meet the key characters of Pardon Mon Affaire (1976), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Étienne Dorsay (Jean Rochefort)

A senior civil servant and family man, Étienne is drawn to Charlotte despite his loyalty to his wife. He embodies charm and a certain vulnerability, caught between routine duty and the lure of a new affair. The crosscurrents of temptation and responsibility drive the plot toward a public, comic climax.

💼 Middle-aged ❤️ Married 🕵️‍♂️ Temptation

Charlotte (Anny Duperey)

A photographic model who counterpoints Étienne’s prudence with playfulness and interest. She enjoys the chase but remains emotionally elusive, inviting Étienne to London while keeping her own motives ambiguous. Her charm triggers the chain of events that endangers Étienne’s stability.

💃 Model 🗺️ Independent 🔄 Playful

Daniel (Claude Brasseur)

A car salesman and Étienne’s friend who acts as a stabilizing force and comic counterpoint. He covers for Étienne by pretending Charlotte is his girlfriend, illustrating loyalty and practical wit. Daniel’s actions propel the plot while revealing the limits of friendship under pressure.

🧑‍💼 Loyal friend 💬 Witty 🚗 Car salesman

Marthe Dorsay (Danièle Delorme)

Étienne’s wife, who has returned to studies and asserts her own independence. She resists unwanted advances from younger men and navigates a complicated marital dynamic. Marthe’s perspective anchors the personal stakes behind the sexual escapades.

💼 Married 📚 Studious 💪 Strong-willed

Bouly (Victor Lanoux)

A serial womanizer whose infidelities have strained his marriage. He participates in the social circle that fuels the film’s romps and schemes, providing a counterpoint to Étienne’s restraint. Bouly embodies the carefree but troubled male archetype.

💘 Womanizer 🏃‍♂️ Serial bachelor 💬 Flamboyant

Simon (Guy Bedos)

A hypochondriac doctor living with his overbearing mother, the character adds neurotic humor to the group dynamic. His perspective mirrors the anxieties and quirks of urban middle age. Simon’s presence reinforces the film’s social satire.

🤒 Hypochondriac 🧪 Doctor 🗺️ Urbanite

Lucien (Christophe Bourseiller)

A 17-year-old friend of one of Étienne’s daughters who pursues a flirtatious advance toward Marthe, highlighting generational tension. His persistence contrasts with Marthe’s resolve, illustrating the film’s exploration of desire across ages. Lucien embodies youthful impulse amid the film’s adult misadventures.

🧒 Teen 🍼 Immature ⚖️ Boundary-testing

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:18

Major Themes – Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)

Explore the central themes of Pardon Mon Affaire (1976), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Infidelity

A married man is tempted by a younger model, highlighting the fragility of monogamy. The narrative turns on flirtation, secrecy, and the consequences of giving in to desire. The film uses humor to critique adult romantic transgressions and the double lives people lead.

🎥 Publicity

Étienne’s escapade becomes a televised spectacle, drawing a crowd and a TV crew. The rescue on a high-rise ledge exposes private life to the public, blurring the line between private desire and public scrutiny. The film satirizes how media attention can magnify personal decisions.

🤝 Friendship

The four middle-aged men share tennis and social rituals that anchor the plot. They arrange schemes to help Étienne while balancing their own weaknesses and desires. The story uses camaraderie to explore loyalty, rivalry, and the moral compromises of friendship.

🎭 Temptation in the City

Set against a bustling urban landscape, the film explores flirtation, risk, and social expectation within Parisian life. Transgressions unfold in offices, apartments, and streets, underscoring how the city's energy fuels temptation. The ensemble cast navigates desire while preserving appearances in a society obsessed with image.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:18

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Pardon Mon Affaire Summary

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