There have been stronger and bolder festival entries than Jerzy Skolimowski's "Le Départ," but none more disarming. By any standards, festival or otherwise, this free-wheeling, inventive comedy of a youth obsessed with fast autos has been put together with fresh, deceptive simplicity that makes it a joy to watch….

["Le Départ"] is a small, clear-cut gem—a beautifully disciplined, imaginative exercise in moviecraft—that is snugly suited to its modest cast and proportions….

The fade-out, after a lovely, flowing scene in a hotel bedroom, seems as right as the rest of "Le Départ." Right and real, funny and haunting.

Howard Thompson, "Jerzy Skolimowski's Comedy Focuses on Youth and Cars," in The New York Times (© 1967 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), September 23, 1967, p. 20.