Le Bon et les Méchants

It is all relative

In 1974 Louis Malle made «Lacombe Luciene» - a film about a young man who becomes a collaborator because of the chain of events. The Second World War was always a painful page of the French history. No doubt, that the film was panned by the French political class as a whole. In 1976 Claude Lelouche made «Le Bon et les Méchants». The film starts with an epigraph: «No one is all good or all bad; there are only good-spirited or mean-spirited».

The film starts in the mid-1930s. Car repairman and lousy boxer Jacques and his friend Simone have decided to become robbers. When Jacques encounters prostitute Lola, their business starts to take off. The gang is chased by an ardent policeman Bruno Deschamps. Until the Second World War, things go on as usual. After the Occupation, they all end up in Vichy: Bruno is appointed to the French Gestapo; Jacques and the gang as escapees from the Occupied territory…

In the above-mentioned «Lacombe Luciene» the French society is depicted as indifferent and collaborationist. «Le Bon et les Méchants» shows the work of the French Gestapo and also pokes the French society. This ridicule is especially visible in two scenes: the children are learning the German numbers and there is a Petain’s portrait. After the Liberation, the children are learning the English numbers and there is a de Gaulle’s portrait.

«Le Bon et les Méchants» also depicts another interesting historic moment – the division of the French underworld. As we know, the French Gestapo was established after the Occupation. The French Gestapo hired a lot of criminals. Somehow, the policemen and the criminals became aligned with the occupying forces, which made them effectively traitors. On the other hand, some criminals joined the Resistance and became heroes.

The Director draws a parallel between Jacques the Criminal and Bruno the Policeman. In the pre-war part of the film they are depicted according to the stereotypes. Jacques is shown as a reckless adventurer; Bruno as a archetypical fearless guardian. Their weddings are depicted with accordance with their characters: Bruno’s wedding is extremely formal; Jacques and Lola’s is underground and mocking.

After the Occupation, the characters continue for a while to follow their stereotypes: Bruno join the French Gestapo, Jacques starts to work with collaborationist criminals. Nevertheless, the war shows their true face. When Jacques finds out that the Germans took 50 hostages as a reprisal for the robbery; he immediately returns the stolen goods to the Gestapo. On the other hand, in order to prove his loyalty to the Gestapo, Bruno is willing to murder his wife. Ironically, the both heroes would meet the same final and it won’t be the guillotine or the firing squad.

«Le Bon et les Méchants» shares another similarity with «Lacombe Luciene». Both films examine the role of chance in life, even in the war. This is illustrated in a history of Jacques. When he returns the stolen goods, we see his human side. Jacques joined the Resistance not because of the patriotism, but because he seeks vengeance for the torture of his wife. Ironically, he is unable to find the exact man, who tortured his wife.

«Le Bon et les Méchants» is not the most known film of Claude Lelouche. I watched it because of the presence of Jacques Dutronc. Despite that, the watching was a rather pleasant surprise. The film accurately portrays the epoch and I would like to commend its original color.

«Le Bon et les Méchants» should be watched along with «Lacombe Luciene» and «Un héros très discret».

Przypadek

Every generation yearns for light. It needs reassurance and faith…

Every man encountered events, dictated by the pure blind chance. This chance could be positive, e.g. you got drunk and were late for the plane and because of that you missed the crash; or you have went to some unplanned event and encountered an interesting man. But you must not forget the negative chances, e.g. you have said not-so-important (in your opinion) word or committed not-so-important (in your opinion) action and the cost of these is the relationship with a very dear friend or some other close man.

In 1981, Krzysztof Kieslowski made a film about how one event could influence the life of one single man. After the death of father, a young medical student Witek takes an academic gap and goes to Warsaw. The life of Witek is dependent on one event – will he catch the train to Warsaw?

The film deals with the questions of freedom, personal choice, happiness and fate. In the beginning, Witek follows the wishes of the father and studies medicine. But, before his death, the father tells Witek that he is free to choose his own path. For the first time, Witek grabs the real freedom of choice.

The political path is presented in the first two variants of Witek’s life. In the first variant, Witek joins the Polish Communist Party; the second variant deals with Witek’s life in the Opposition and his embrace of the Catholic faith as a way to gain the meaning of life. At first glance, Witek gains a success in politics, but in reality he loses the freedom, personal choice and happiness. Witek the politician becomes an instrument in the hands of others.

Krzysztof Kieslowski showed us old Communists, who were arrested in the early 1950s, but who continued to advance the Party’s case. One Communist, who inspired Witek to join the Party, left prison as a morally and physically crippled person. He is merely lecturing in the University and tries to distance himself from the political life. Another Communist – Witek’s boss, - understands the crisis of Socialism, but continues formal embrace of the ideology in order to use his experience for future reforms.

The Director shows the Opposition as a bunch of idealistic young people, who could get arrested at any time. The Director treats with the same skepticism the formal embrace of religion, which is practiced by lots of people. Do not think that Krzysztof Kieslowski was an anti-clerical man, he is merely critiquing the formal embrace of religion. The future history of Poland vindicates the views of Krzysztof Kieslowski.

In addition to the questions of freedom, personal choice, happiness and fate, the Director depicts the influence of the past. In the film the past is symbolized in two girls, whom Witek previously encountered. In the first variant this girl is Czuszka; in the second variant the girl is Werka. Witek tries to gain them back but there is an old and banal saying that you cannot bring back the past. The Director agrees with this saying.

In all three variants Paris is depicted as a mean to escape the current. In this case, the Director decides «to play the God» (plagiarizing the interview of Krzysztof Kieslowski on the Three Colors) as a fate and does not allow Witek to escape. In some cases he is merciful, in another cases he is cruel.

The Director thinks that the only way to gain personal happiness is to forger the past and stay out of politics. In the third variant of Witek’s life, he decides not to go to Warsaw, finishes the medical school and marries his school mate. Witek the Doctor, in comparison to Witek the Communist and Witek the member of Opposition, abstains from politics. Only in this variant, Witek gains the personal and professional freedom.

Krzysztof Kieslowski portrayed the Polish society of the early 1980s and the history of one young Polish man. I think that after watching the scene of catching the train, everyone would remember his own «trains». As I said before, the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski have one unique trait – they are universal.

I ask you again, let’s join and watch the films of this great master, who, unfortunately passed away too young.