Bon Voyage!

Comédie-Française!

In the June of 1940 the Maginot Line has been crashed. All Parisians are running to Bordeaux: the government ministers, the scientists, the criminals, the aristocracy, the artists and the German spies. In a span of a few days, the destiny of France will be decided and, meanwhile, the people are trying to figure their way out…

One of the screenwriters – Patrick Modiano – has already written in 1974 the screenplay for Louis Malle «Lacomb Lucien». Back in 1974, this film exploded because it showed the true face of a French society during World War II. Patrick Modiano, in collaboration with four screenwriters, returned to this theme in 2003 and had chosen the most unbelievable genre – a comedy.

If «Lacomb Lucien» was a portart of the French society as the whole, «Bon Voyage!» ridicules the French ruling class. Practically all of the French higher society shown as a bunch of indifferent people, who cares only how to get to Hotel «Splendid». The aristocrats, the government ministers, the business people are even secretly happy about an armistice. It would allow them to come back to Paris and «with Germans we will learn to cooperate».

Under such circumstances, the most unlikely kind of people could become heroes: the criminals, who ran away from a jail and who prevent Germans from obtaining the nuclear bomb. One of the main heroes – an aspiring writer, who was imprisoned because of his love – who got to Bordeaux to sort some thing out with his love. Nevertheless, circumstances forces him to take a direct part into the future of France.

The film got a superb acting for the main and supporting cast alike.

To the most of the heroines, created by Isabelle Adjani, you feel compassion, sympathy; they could touch even the most cynical hearts. The Actress had brilliantly portrayed the greatest women in history: Adelie Hugo, Emily Bronte, Antonieta Rivas Mercado, Camille Claudel, Margarite de Valois. This time Isabelle Adjani uses her splendid talent and magic to create the quintessence of the talentless actress and a truly despicable character. You could even say that Viviane Denvers is anti-Isabelle Adani, If Isabelle Adjani is a great actress and beautiful woman, Viviane Denvers is the third-rate actress with a cute face.

Viviane Denvers is ready to go to bed with anyone who would provide a boost for career, pay for her and protect her. As Hendrik Hoefgen from «Mephisto», Viviane has sold her soul for the cheap glory. In the world of Viviane Denvers there is no place for such words as dignity, loyalty and love. She is ready to set up the person, who truly loves her, and abandon him, like any other useless lover. All her charm is the combination of a third-rate acting: the theatrical crying, the rolling eyes and the constant talking about her sad life. During the course of this film, Viviane loses the last remains of her dignity and she realizes too late that there is no way back. Isabelle Adjani has brilliantly portrayed Viviane’s nullity. You don’t feel any compassion towards her and the final scene clearly shows her future.

Other actors were also brilliant. Gérard Depardieu as the corrupt minister. Peter Coyote as a German spy with the mephistophelean charm to whom Viviane «sells her soul». Virginie Ledoyen as an idealistic young girl, loyal to France and science. Grégori Derangère as an aspiring writer, who becomes a hero. In addition, the legends of French cinema Aurore Clément and Edith Scob has created episodic memorable characters.

Enclosing, let me say that in the June of 1940 comedy, spy flick, melodrama, drama and war movie has met in Bordeaux and the meeting was splendid!

9/10

Violette et François

Life must go on

Violette and Francois don’t care about the future. Violette was fired from the bank; Francois was booted from the real estate agency, when his superiors found out that his best «customer» was Violette. Unfortunately, the young couple has a little son Paul and they have to find a way to make ends meet. Francois loses yet another job; he can’t secure funding for his newspaper, so he decides to become a professional shoplifter. After first failed theft, they decide to get married and on the day of the wedding, Violette agrees to help Francois in the shoplifting business.

The film start as a comedy about two head in the clouds young people with deep conviction that the world is revolving around them. They don’t care about the absence of instant income, the inability to provide decent future to their son. Their affair is the perfect example for the old story of the Lady and the Hooligan. Violette charmed by Francois rebelliousness and by his brilliant and unreal ideas. The first shop theft thrills Violette even more and after some time she decides to assist Francois.

Nothing lasts forever, especially illusions. Violette is the mother and she has to think about the well-being of Paul. She «awakens» after the first failed theft and tries to persuade Francois, for the sake of little Paul, to abandon the life of petty crime. Francois agrees, but then reneges on his promise. Violette has to make a tough choice.

The film shows that Isabelle Adjani is capable of playing not only tragic heroes. The actress has naturally portrayed the evolution of Violette from the infantile and naïve teenager, who got a crush on the Hooligan and ready to condone all of his activities, to the grown woman capable of tough and painful decisions. Jacques Dutronc is also convincing as a careless man, who understood the consequences of his behavior too late.   

Enclosing, Violette and Francois is a sad and tragic comedy. The film is relatively unknown, outside of France, but watching of it was a pleasant surprise.

8/10

L'histoire d'Adèle H.

Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.

This proverb, wrongly misattributed to Euripides, could easily be attributed to the unrequited love.

Francois Truffaut wanted to film the diaries of Adelie Hugo’s  for seven years. He had constantly changed actresses for the main role, until he saw Isabelle Adjani in «La Gifle». The actress was approved despite the fact that a 19-year old Isabelle Adjani would play a 30-year old woman. 

«The Story of Adelie H.» you could name, in analogy with theatre, a one-person film. Despite the fact that other actors also did a good job, the only actor who draws all attention is Isabelle Adjani.

Isabelle Adjani throws herself completely into Adelie Hugo. She shows every aspect of Adelie’s mental disintegration. The director and cinematographer uses many close-ups in order to show Adjani’s face, her superb facial expression, especially at the final scene in Barbados, when grief-stricken Adelie walks down Barbados with a completely blank face.

Francois Truffaut had chosen the perfect metaphor for progressing insanity of Adelie – nearsightedness. At first, Adelie’s eye vision is correct, but as her possession progresses she see less and less in terms of eyesight and sanity.

Another motive of this film is a contrast. Adelie’s descend into madness is shown by her love interest – Lt Pinson – gambler, lecher and womanizer. Lt’s antipode is the bookseller with certain crush on the main heroine shown as a decent man and who could become her husband. Even casting of Isabelle Adjani is, in some aspects, contrast – such beautiful woman is obsessed with such unworthy man.

«The Story of Adelie H.» has a gloomy atmosphere in a complete contrast with optimism of «Day for Night». The grey town,  the constant sleep drowning of Adelie, the eternal darkness of Halifax, the misery and poverty of Barbados – there is no place for poor Adelie into this cruel and wicked world.

Because of this, you do not feel any falsehood during the watch, compared with many other films. You feel sympathy and compassion towards Adelie and while watching the scene when grief-stricken Adjani cries into the carriage your heart would bleed at least. Every person who loved at least once would find something into this film.

Enclosing, I would like to thank Francois Truffaut for opening Isabelle Adjani’s acting genius to the world audience. I think that after «The Story of Adelie H.», Adjani could have retired from acting because this role has already written her name into the history books. Nevertheless, she had continued her brilliant acting career and has only given joy to her fans all over the world (me included). It is a pity that Isabelle Adjani was passed over for Cesar and Oscar in 1976, but her five Cesars, double prize for the best actress at the Cannes and other innumerable awards are already expecting her.

10/10  

The Age of Augustus by Werner Eck

At the age of nineteen, he wrote, he had entered Roman politics abruptly, acting «on his own initiative» and «at his own expense»

As far back as I can remember I have always been fascinated by the Roman history. When I was 12, I have read The Twelve Caesars by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. Frankly speaking, I read it to find out more about Roman orgies, not emperors.  At the age of 17, after watching HBO series Rome, I have developed fixation on Augustus. I have read a lot of books and Internet materials about him, but my knowledge was far from systemic. Then, at the age of 21, I have found in one bookstore The Age of Augustus by Werner Eck, which I would review now…

Werner Eck begins The Age of Augustus with overview of Augustus cult and the main document – the Res Gestae Divi Augusti («The deeds of the Divine Augustus»). The text of the Res Gestae provides a glorified self-portrait of the first princeps of Rome. Then, Werner Eck quotes the historian Tacitus who showed Augustus as unscrupulous, ruthless, power-craving individual. Each part of this book includes some quotation from the Res Gestae and Werner Eck would doubt it’s truthfulness.

Gaius Octavian, who would later acquire the title Augustus, was born in a patrician family, connected with Julius Caesar. Werner Eck makes a point that Julius Caesar saw potential in his grandnephew by making him his sole heir and recipient of the three-quarters of his estate. Nevertheless, this will was not final and Caesar planned to live longer and possibly change this document, but certain circumstances quickly made the terms of his will relevant.

The Age of Augustus portrays Augustus as clever and charismatic leader with good political instincts. The epigraph of this review is not far from truth, except for «at my own expense» part. He never backed off from political maneuver, when it was necessary. One example of such «U-Turn» is his political and military union with the Republicans in 43 BC.

Werner Eck portrays slow development of the principate. One of Augustus favorite maxims ran festina lente («slow and steady wins the race»). The author quoted Cassius Dio, who wrote in Roman History about a debate on the future of government in Rome, between Augustus, Maecenas and Agirippa. The author brilliantly explains difficult constitutional and legal matters for the common readers.

Augustus clearly understood that he could not return to Julius Caesar model, neither could he get back to the Republic. Therefore, he had decided to restore the old republic, at least in name. He cunningly used the legal mechanisms, devised by the «Roman Constition» and created or initiated his own laws and by-laws. Every lawyer would find this part of The Age of Augustus the most interesting and amusing.

Social legislation plays an important part in this book. Augustus had revolutionized the Family law of Rome by adopting harsh anti-adultery legislation and putting Romans under obligation to marry. This was the most important piece of legislation for Roman people. Werner Eck praises Augustus for changing the way of governing the Empire. The princeps has outlawed the most controversial tax practices and even allowed filing complaints about governors.

Werner Eck makes a special point about exact title of Augustus. Imperator means «victorious commander», so Augustus was not am emperor, in a later sense of this word. That is why Augustus was not am emperor; the source of his authority were provinces, delegated to him by The Senate and People of Rome, and proconsul imperium. I am personally thankful for this part, which helped me to understand Augustus legal status.   

The Age of Augustus does not forget about failures of the princeps: disastrous German campaign, periodic bankruptcy of the Treasury, cases of outward nepotism. But his rule has been summed up by these words: «None of his successors as ruler of the Roman empire could present a similar balance sheet. And what statesman of later ages could enter in competition with him?».

Enclosing, The Age of Augustus is a very interesting book for professional historians and amateurs alike. I liked it so much, that I have even translated it in Russian (no joking), now I am trying to publish it.

Midnight in Paris, 2011

I'm from the '20s, and I'm telling you the golden age is la Belle Epoque

Who has never dreamed of moving to Paris after watching too much French films as a child or as a teenager or even as an adult? Who has never told himself, like Oscar from Bitter Moon, that when I become rich, I’ll move to «The City of Hemingway, Miller and Scott Fitzgerald»?

Gil Pender is one of these men, who are dissatisfied with the present. On his trip to Paris he gets the magic ticket to Paris of the 1920s. Gil is happy, every night he could escape his fiancé, boring father-in-law, pseudointellectual professor…

«Midnight in Paris» recreates Paris of our dreams: the fairytale city, the festive city. In the Woody Allen’s Paris you could bump in Scott Fitzgerald, ask Gertrude Stein to review your book and, finally, to fall in love with Picasso’s model. However, such dreams have a very bad feature – they do not come true.

Irony of Woody Allen is rather kind. There always would be people dreaming about coming to the 1920s, the la Belle Epoque, the Renaissance or even earlier. It is fruitless to try to find solace for your dreams in the past. Instead, you should fulfill your dreams in the present.

Do it!

8/10

Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt

He taught us how to think (Voltaire)

My knowledge of the Ancient History is rather mediocre, but I am a political and historical junkie with special fondness for Classics. Until recently, most of my knowledge about The Roman Republic and the Empire had come from films, TV Series, Shakespeare plays and documentaries. Therefore, I have decided to deepen my knowledge about this subject so I had started from Commentarii de Bello Gallico, The Age of Augustus, Caesar: Life of a Colossus, The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and finally I have arrived to the Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician.

Marcus Tullius Cicero is remembered by most of the people for his works in the fields of philosophy, rhetoric, law and political science. Regrettably, most of the people, except for a few scholars, pay little or no attention to his accomplishment in the Roman politics of his time. 

Cicero was born at the time when Roman political system was constantly shaken by various political crises and licentious «saviors» were ready to conquer power at any costs, including murder. When Cicero was twenty-four Sulla launched another novice in political struggle – proscription. Nevertheless, comparing with Caesar, whose political «coming of age» were effectively at the same time, Cicero has not lost his faith in the Republic…

Anthony Everitt does an outstanding job in exploiting Roman political processes. He portrays Senate driven by self-ambition, fear of each other, struggle between optimates (nobel) and populares (people), internal division in every faction (hardcore and moderate). Roman politics were driven by personalities, rather than parties (you could find the similar pattern in the United States Senate) and the main words for Senate business were gridlock and lack of bipartisanship (you could also find it in the United States Senate). Therefore, in many aspects, judging from Everett words, if you use medical terminology, end of the Republic was not a murder, it was an assisted suicide. 

Secondly, Everitt portrays a compelling image of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero was a man prone to fear, flip-flop and misjudgment. Nevertheless, Cicero also showed some political courage during his Consulship when he suppressed the Second Catilinarian Conspiracy and it was his finest political hour. After that, he had entered a long period of personal political stagnation until death of his beloved daughter Tullia, which gave him some inner steel. After that, he once again had become dominant figure but he made a crucial miscalculation about young Gaius Octavius…

One area where people constantly misunderstood Cicero is his political beliefs. Marcus Tullius was a firm believer in Republic and member of the optimates faction, so he was a conservative, not a reformer. However, he also was a pragmatic conservative, who understood the need of some change and bipartisanship, which had put him on odds with die-hard optimates like Cato (Cato reminds of Ron Paul). Cicero views were close to the Schumpeterian theory of Democracy (Generally speaking schumpeterians view democracy as the mechanism for competition between leaders and the participatory role for individuals is usually severely limited). It is not surprising that The Constitution of the United States, which was framed by Cicero admirers, was greatly admired by Joseph Schumpeter as an ideal illustration of his policy.

In closing, you could say that Cicero ideas were never realized over the span of his lifetime, but his torch has been passed to the other generations (plagiarizing JFK first inaugural) and his dream lives on (plagiarizing convention address by another Kennedy, this time Ted).

Finally, Anthony Everitt has written great book for all kinds of readers (scholars and general readers) which helps you to draw light on Cicero life, views and accomplishments and political system of the Roman Republic. Nevertheless, after reading this book switch to Cicero’s original writings (letters, speeches, philosophical works, etc.)

On the Law of Nations by Daniel Patrick Moynihan

A political culture from which the idea of international law has largely disappeared places its initiatives in jeopardy

Thanks to the Wikipedia, I knew that Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a member of the United States Senate from New York for 24 years. Nevertheless, until recently I have never done any serious research about DPM. It all has changed one fall day in Moscow at home while I was searching the C-SPAN website for some interesting Senate videos. I have decided to watch 1992 debate about Freedom Support Act (U.S. Aid to Former Soviet Union). It was short and participants were mostly extraordinary: Claiborne Pell, Dick Lugar, Alan Cranston, and Mitch McConnell (he is not extraordinary at all except for making history with self-filibustering his own proposal last year). Finally, Daniel Patrick Moynihan rose to speak and it was grandiloquent. Firstly, instead of talking about the pros and cons of this bill (financial obligations, opening new markets for American products and etc.) Moynihan told a story about meeting with The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR, which took place in 1990. Secondly, Moynihan style of clothing (bow tie, bookish spectacles) and his look were much more suited for Harvard lecture hall. Thirdly, his voice and patrician style of speaking, which you could hear only in BBC movies about Middle England nowadays. Of course, I have decided to read some of his books…

«On the Law of Nations» was published in 1990 at the epochal point of world history. The Cold War has effectively finished and in the United Nations USSR and USA, for the first time since Suez Crisis (1956), found a common ground in punishing aggressor, Saddam Hussein. In addition, the 1990s were proclaimed the «Decade of International Law» by the UN resolution 44/23 of 17 November 1989.

Book starts with the quote from The Constitution of the United States (treaties… shall be the supreme law of the land). Then author recounts his talk to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. This talk took place in 1979 and the main theme was the proposition that the US has abandoned the concept that international relations can and should be governed by a regime of public international law. This theme is solidified by numerous violations of international law by the Reagan Administration: death squads in Salvador, the mining of Nicaraguan harbors and Iran-Contra. In addition, regrettably, the intellectual and political thought of the 1980s regarded international law as an illusion or an obstacle to the American interests («Real men did not cite Grotius»).

Moynihan makes a thesis that this nihilism and disdain for the international law was not the core part of the American legal theory and practice and he is trying to find out the reasons for it. As he points out, in the 19^th century, the US resolved Alabama claims with Britain by the means of arbitration, instead of war. In addition, the Federalist Papers and the Declaration of Independence placed international law as a vital part of the American legal system, and the Founding Fathers respected international law (or as it was called then «the natural law»).

The Senator makes a point that after Treaty of Versailles has been killed in the United States Senate international law lost its attractiveness. There was a renaissance during FDR years, starting with joining the International Labor Organisation and build-up of the United Nations. Then, after the beginning of Cold War international law again became declarative, especially international humanitarian and human rights.

The 1990’s presents an opportunity for the Renaissance and adherence to international law is the way to insure safe, civilized proper behavior as the US approach the next century. Moynihan see first positive signs with the adoption East-West Code of Conduct, Soviets making case for The Hague Court and European Conventions…

Personally, I would like to say that it is a brilliant book and, since works of Churchill, De Gaulle and Talleyrand by Duff Cooper (1932), I have never read such intellectually compelling book written by a politician. And, sadly, Moynihan dreams hasn’t come true because international law nowadays even more disdained  and violated, Iraq War is the perfect example. However, maybe if someone would read this book, he would understand the importance of international law and would follow in Mister Moynihan footsteps.

Sadly, the breed of Moynihan-like statesman is gone and we must bring it back, starting with ourselves, to make the world a better place. And in conclusion, I yield the floor with this review (US Senate word: senator who has been recognized to speak stops when she completes her remarks and terminates her recognition) and I hope that after reading this book someone would take the floor and stress the importance of the international law.

Mortelle randonnée

I've decided to inaguarate this blog by writing review of my favorite Isabelle Adjani film - Mortelle randonee.

In Brussels, a private detective called The Eye, tries many times to find out which girl, from a class photo taken in 1962, is his beloved daughter Marie. Every year he calls his ex-wife Madeleine and calls a different girl on the photo, but always misses. The Eye gets an assignment to investigate the mysterious girlfriend of Paul Hugo – wealthy shoemaker heir. He tracks down Lucie Brentano relatively easy and finds the requested information about her. The next day, he discovers how Lucie is getting rid of Paul Hugo's corpse. Instead of calling the authorities he tracks down the heroine, who is now called Eve Granger, and follows her to Nice…

Most critics say Mortelle Randonnée is the definitive neo-noir, but this film couldn’t be categorized in just one genre. Claude Miller, the talented apprentice of the Nouvelle Vague cinema, who has worked as assistant with Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Demys, cunningly mixes different genres. Mortelle Randonnée is, one could say, the mix of absurdist tale and noir.

Mortelle Randonnée has a dreamy-like atmosphere: heroine, planning her activities by checking horoscopes, telepathically connecting heroes, supporting characters, which act like a pulp fiction heroes. The Absurdist atmosphere is created, not least, by the Carla Brey soundtrack. Her music sometimes sounds like typical American noir jazz, but sometimes also like absurdist tale symphony.

The Eye at first acts as the angel-guardian of the heroine: gets rid of the bodies, presents her favorite cigarettes, and telepathically tries to warn her against meeting indecent people. An inattentive viewer might believe Isabelle Adjani’s heroine is the long-lost daughter of The Eye. But later The Eye, driven by jealousy, destroys the only chance of happiness for his "daughter" and this leads to the inevitable finale. Catherine Leiris, as we would later know her real name, with her modus operandi of looking for a fatherly figure and killing him, and her later telling stories of her fathers - who are really her ex-victims – reminds us of Anna Karina’s heroines in Godard movies and Truffaut tragic heroines. This film has a strong psychoanalytic tune, especially concerning repetition compulsion and doubles.

Mortelle Randonnée is undoubtedly Michel Serrault benefice, his acting, as The Eye is superb: constant voiceover, self-talking and telepathic advices to his "daughter". Isabelle Adjani gets less screen time but her acting is superb. She shows us a variety of persons: the sweetly naïve student Lucy Brentano, the arrogant top-model Eve Granger, the tragedy-broken Catherine Leiris, and so on. To all those, who say Isabelle Adjani is only fit to play drama queens and a hysterical female, I strongly recommend watching this film. Claude Miller has also included in this film an homage to the Nouvelle Vague, by giving supporting roles to Sami Frey, Guy Marchand, Geneviève Page and Stéphane Audran.

Mortelle Randonnée is an off-the-charts brilliant film and all Jacques Audiard, who has written the script, fans would recognize his style. All those who love French cinema, noir, and especially Isabelle Adjani fans, should immediately watch this masterpiece.

9/10

P.S. Many thanks to Sol Young for correcting my RuEnglish.