Truffaut uses Bertrand’s obsession to explore several layers of the human experience:
As the narrative shifts into a series of flashbacks, we follow Bertrand, an aeronautical engineer in Montpellier, as he writes his memoirs. His pursuit of women is portrayed not as a search for power, but as a vital necessity—a way to feel alive. Key Themes: Legs, Literature, and the "Scopic Drive" L'uomo che amava le donne (1977)
The film begins at its end: the funeral of Bertrand Morane (played with a nervous, singular intensity by ). In a striking opening visual, the mourners consist exclusively of women—the many lovers, friends, and "conquests" Bertrand accumulated throughout his life. we follow Bertrand