Santa Clause Has Blue Eyes is certainly a minor effort among the criminally short filmography of director Jean Eustache, but considering his other two efforts (The Mother and The Whore & The Little Loves) are masterpieces, Santa Clause Has Blue Eyes is a 50 minute long feature that still has plenty to offer. The story is centered around Daniel, a young man who is desperate to buy a new, stylish duffle coat, but unfortunately he doesn't have the money necessary to do so. When not cruising the scene from young woman with his four friends, Daniel takes up a job as a street-corner Santa Clause to earn income, grabbing the attention of a host of woman in the process, thanks to the familiar costume. Jean Eustache film is a meandering effort, where there is not much of a struggled plot as the filmaking aims more at capturing the daily reality of young Daniel. A slice of life film would be an appropriate description, and while the naturalism of the film is far from inconsequential, what Santa Clause Has Blue Eyes seems to capture about capitalism and the male gaze makes the film more interesting. While Eustache's main focus isn't on societies monetization of culture, the film shows through the eyes of young Daniel have money is a force that drives everything - defining class, defining success, and even in Daniel's eyes it is an instrumental and necessary step to find love and affection. His whole intent on getting this coat feels somewhat related to his inability to pick up a woman, but when he finally as able to acquire the coat society has already moved on, with his friends downplaying his purchase, already having moved on to the next style. By and large, Santa Clause Has Blue Eyes is a film that captures the mischievous spirit of male youth, following their exploits through the city as they try and meet woman, offering an earthy, naturalistic experience which signaled Eustache's first main work.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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