Trois Hommes Et Un Couffin: Scene / Plot Analysis

In Trois Hommes et un Couffin, written and directed by Collin Serreau, a trio of Parisian playboys find themselves taking care of a baby left upon their doorstep and turning into three loving fathers. The scene in which Michel and Pierre discover Marie is a pivotal point in the film because it is central to the plot. Throughout the film we see the men personifying the model of "work hard, play hard" and in the shots leading up to this scene we see them in the professional environments. As Pierre is leaving the house he is shocked to stumble upon a baby in a cradle and he finds out it is Jacques daughter. After he gets Michel, the two men realize that they have to take care of the child while Jacques is away and confusion ensues.

The mise-en-scene lays the basis for the theme of contrast-the separation between the men's' life before and after Marie's arrival. The most obvious example of contrast is that of light and dark. Immediately before Pierre discovers Marie, he wanders about in the darkly lit corner; it is almost impossible to see anything. This changes abruptly when the baby appears, surrounded in a near halo of light fabric. As the view alternates between the men and the baby, this contrast becomes more pronounced-Pierre and Michel are dressed in dark clothes while the apartment behind them is filled with light, further foreshadowing the effect Marie will have on their lives. The change in depiction of the apartment decorations also mirrors Pierre's and Michel's situation: as they argue over Marie a vase and mirror are visible in the background, symbolizing the fragility and precariousness of their lives as bachelors. When Marie actually enters the apartment, however, previously unseen plants appear in almost every shot. The plants serve as symbols of life, suggesting that Marie will give meaning to the men's previously empty lives which, prior to her arrival, had not yet begun.