«Au Revoir Les Enfants» (1987)

 Stop acting so pious. There's a war outside

In 1974, Louis Malle released «Lacombe Lucien» - a film that made France to confront itself during World War 2. 14 years later, he decided to revisit his childhood memories and made «Au Revoir Les Enfants». What can we say about it?

Winter of 1943-1944. A descendant of a wealthy Parisian family Julien Quentin returns to his Catholic boarding school. Everything goes as usual except for arrival of three new students, including Jean Bonnet. The new boy raises suspicions because he does not eat pork and bathes separately from others. Maybe he is a Jew…

The Director portrays a life of a boarding school in occupied France. The students lead a relatively privileged life; they are fed well and does not fully understand and grasp the scale of raging war. They despise the German troops and collaborationists and repeat the propaganda clichés about filthy Bolsheviks. For them Jews are outsiders and, in reality, they do not care about them.

During Holocaust in France, the French society often distinguished between «Les Israelites» and «Les Juifs». The first category was considered French with a different surname and they were accorded compassion and possible protection; the latter category was treated, in the best case, with indifference and, in the worst case, they were handed to Gestapo.

As in «Lacombe Lucien», Louis Malle does not try to paint the history brighter than it was in reality. The French society is trying to lead an ordinary life and the worst among them are trying to profit from it or join the collaborationists. The film avoids simple caricatures, even in its portrayal of German soldiers.

The Christian theme played a prominent role in Nazi propaganda. The Nazis tried to portray the war as a noble Christian Crusade against godless Judeo-Bolshevism. Obviously, the Christian themes became compromised in the minds of certain Europeans, including students of this particular boarding school.

The children are not interested in boring sermons about compassion, charity and corruption of wealth. In reality, they should listen to it, because their teachers are living those values and not using them as a propaganda tool. One day they will understand it and it will haunt them for the rest of their lives. But what can children learn about courage, if their parents are passive? The answer is up to you.

«Au Revoir Les Enfants» is a haunting film about real Christian values and a genuine moral courage of a few. Watch it and think.

Valentine’s Day Films

The Saint Valentine's Day is not far and I have decided to make a film selection for this very special day!
Film №1. For all those, who believe in love at the first sight!
Damage (1992), directed by Louis Malle.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104237/?ref_=nv_sr_3

Film №2. For those, who don't believe that love lives for three years!
The Night Porter (1974), directed by Liliana Cavani
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071910/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Film №3. For those, who don't believe in love triangles!
L'important c'est d'aimer (1974), directed by Andrzej Zulawski.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073155/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Film №4. For those, who believe in love triangles or even squares!
Possession (1981), directed by Andrzej Zulawski.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082933/?ref_=nv_sr_3

Film №5. For those, who believe in doing anything for the loved one.
Violette Nozière (1978), directed by Claude Chabrol.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078467/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Damage

Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive

The one should watch on the Saint Valentine’s Day some romantic film. I am a cynical lawyer, that is why the traditional love stories «love from the first sight-looking for a lost love-a sudden meeting-first date-and they lived happily» amuse me. Because of this, I gave decided to watch some unusual love story.

The Right Honourable Doctor Stephen Fleming MP is Minister without Portfolio, but he is expected to get the Department of Health. The family life of Stephen also good: loving wife, successful son and cute little daughter. One day at the French Embassy Stephen meets Anna Barton, to whom he is immediately attracted. After a few days his son introduces his fiancée – the same Anna Barton, - but it cannot stop Stephen…

The storyline of Damage, at first sight, is rather banal and boring. Nevertheless Louis Malle, as in his earlier works, took the trivial story and turned it into a spectacular story of all-consuming, doomed and passionate love. As I said before, the conventional love stories bores me. When you think about Damage you could say one word, which the most accurately characterize this film – the fatality. The affair of Anna and Stephen is a mad waltz of mentally traumatized woman and vehemently insane man. The one could feel the fatality by watching the sex scenes, which looks like a fight and does not even hint any tenderness.

Anna Barton reminds of a fire, which attracts butterflies. Every word, gesture and look of Anna hints the hidden danger. As Catherine from «Jules et Jim», Anna is capable of loving of two at the same time – Stephen and his son. However, the son, because of his naiveté and intellectual limits, cannot fully sense the dangerous aura of Anna. The mother instinct of Stephen’s wife feels Anna’s danger, but she is incapable to protect her son.

Any normal person would tell that Stephen Fleming’s behavior is despicable. On the other hand, who has not dreamed about such affair? Stephen’s action are driven by his attraction to Anna’s «fire», it is not the usual short affair between bored old politician and cute girl. He tries to break-up with Anna, but his mind cannot shut his passion.

Louis Malle has never judged his heroes – neither the collaborator Lacombe Lucien, neither the bored socialite Jeanne nor the petit bourgeois family in «Milou en Mai». He watches and feels certain compassion for the weaknesses and vices of his heroes. This feature makes the films of Louis Malle more interesting than «black and white» films of other directors.

«Damage» is a clever and subtle film, which would be interesting to everyone.    

9/10

Les Amants

Mon amour…

In 1957, Louis Malle has shot his first film – noir Elevator to the Gallows. For the script of The Lovers Malle had chosen the most banal story – bored socialite, who meets a lover. Nevertheless, the director has turned this banality into a story of collision between false and true love.

The world of Jeanne Tournier consists of falsehood. Every prisoner of this so-called «The Plato Cave» is playing his role: the bored wife, the socialite girlfriend, the cuckold husband, the elegant lover. There is no place for a real feelings, Jeanne cannot even say «tu» to her lover.

Real love storms into the life of Jeanne in a face of Bernard Dubois-Lambert. This young archeologist has nothing in common with her friends and acquaintances; even more, he despises them.  Bernard is capable of thinking out of the box and his love is sincere.

This collision «wakes up» Jeanne and she is ready to leave everything behind. There is no longer a place for hypocritical rules of the so-called «higher society»; Jeanne is finally living a full live and she is ready for the uncertain future.

 Jeanne Moreau, who often called the ideal of intellectual femininity, portrays the transformation of her hero from a petit bourgeois, in the bad sense of this word, to a woman, who breathes freely. This transformation seen by comparing the mechanic dates of Jeanne with lover and sincere love scene with Bernard.

The Lovers is a wonderful film, which could make you think about your life. I strongly recommend to watch The Lovers in French with subtitles, in order to fully appreciate acting of Jeanne Moreau.