The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)

by Linda Kay

Original Title: Le mari de la coiffeuse

Directed by: Patrice Leconte

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Even as a small boy, Antoine (Jean Rochefort) harbors a desire to marry a beautiful hairdresser. His dream comes true when he meets the beautiful Mathilde (Anna Galiena).

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): In an early scene the juvenile Antoine (Henry Hocking) is at the dinner table with his mother (Yveline Ailhaud), father (Roland Bertin) and brother (Christophe Hémon). A ginger and white tabby cat is sitting in a chair at the table as well.

The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat sitting on chair at dinner table with Antoine Henry Hocking, Yveline Ailhaud, Roland Berton and Christophe Hémon

The father asks Antoine’s brother if he knows about binary systems. In order to explain, the father picks up the cat from the chair and places him on the table.

The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat being placed on dinner table with Antoine Henry Hocking, Yveline Ailhaud, Roland Berton and Christophe Hémon
The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat standing on dinner table with Antoine Henry Hocking, Yveline Ailhaud, Roland Berton and Christophe Hémon

“What is a binary cat?” the father asks, petting the cat. “A normal cat is a cat that has one head, two eyes and four paws. A binary cat has one head, one eye, one eye, one paw, one paw, one paw and one paw.”

The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat sitting on dinner table with Antoine Henry Hocking, Yveline Ailhaud, Roland Berton and Christophe Hémon

When the brother says he sees a difference between the two examples the father ridicules him. The cat, in the meantime, seems more interested in the soup which the mother is dishing out.

The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat sitting on dinner table with Roland Berton and Christophe Hémon

The father then asks Antoine what he wants to be when he grows up. Antoine proudly announces he plans to marry a hairdresser. Without warning the father reaches across the table and slaps the boy. Even the cat reacts with shock as Antoine jumps up from the table and runs to his room while his father wonders why he reacted in such a manner.

The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat sitting on dinner table
The Hairdresser's Husband - ginger and white tabby cat reacting to Roland Berton slapping Antoine Henry Hocking

Final Mewsings: Both binary and non-binary cats abhor violence.

Many thanks to Nick Wale for letting us know about the cat in this film.

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