Le Diable au Corps (1947)

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Ann Harding
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Le Diable au Corps (1947)

Post by Ann Harding »

Le Diable au Corps (1947) Claude Autant-Lara
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Gérard Philipe & Micheline Presle

1917, François (Gérard Philipe), a 17 year old schoolboy, meets Marthe (Micheline Presle) a few years his senior. They fall in love, but, Marthe's mother (Denise Grey) insists that she gets engaged to a soldier. Some months later, François meets Marthe again. She is now married and her husband is on the frontline. They start to have an affair to the outrage of all the people around them....

This French classic is extremely elusive on any screen because of rights problem. But yesterday, I was able to see it for the first time at the Cinémathèque. 8)
Raymond Radiguet's novel was published in 1923 and created a certain amount of furore at the time: an adulterous woman having an affair with a young man of 17 while her husband fought at the front. This was considered a scandal! In fact, Radiguet was using a real story. In 1947, the story was still considered immoral. The film is so sensitively directed it becomes an incredibly moving melodrama. Gérard Philipe was already a renowned theatre actor at the time. He was 25, but he manages to capture perfectly the feelings and attitudes of an adolescent. His François is just living the moment. Obsessed by his love for Marthe, he can nevertheless be selfish and overwhelmed by his responsabilities when she becomes pregnant by him. Philipe was a big films star in French cinema, but unlike many other pretty faces, he was a real actor and never indulged in any pretentious posing. He manages to give such a presence to his François!!! Certainly, it was one of his best preformances. Micheline Presle is equally superb as Marthe. A young woman in the grip of an authoritarian mother and pushed towards a marriage without love, she finally decides to live her own life even if it means losing everything.
I don't always like Autant-Lara's film, but this one is certainly his finest. the atmosphere of a small suburban town is prefectly recreated. The cinematography by Michel Kelber was superb. I also liked the music score which was more prominent than on many French films of the time. René Cloërec creates some strong rhapsodic moments like Max Steiner.

This is such a shame this film is not available on DVD or VHS! :( Though I think you can buy second-hand VHS in the US but alas it's an ENGLISH-DUBBED version and if you lose the two actors' voice, it's really not worth bothering....
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charliechaplinfan
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

What a handsome picture. Gerard Philipe is dreadfully under represented in DVD releases. The subject matter of the film sounds right up my street. Thanks for posting. Any other pictures of Gerard Philipe are quite welcome :wink:
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
feaito

Post by feaito »

The title of this film always intrigued me and when I read William K. Everson's review of the film in his great book "Love in Film", I became immediately interested in it. It's the kind of film I'd surely love. Great description Christine.

I hate to read that films have rights problems that prevent audiences to enjoy them :x
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Ann Harding
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Post by Ann Harding »

Alison, here is another picture from the film: 8)
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myrnaloyisdope
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Post by myrnaloyisdope »

I recently picked up a dubbed copy a little while ago, and was very impressed. I don't like dubbing, but I didn't have a problem with it at all in this case. It's well done.

It's a great film, and definitely one that deserves more attention.

I have to think the lack of acclaim and availability of most of Autant-Lara's films is due in part to his politics, which were to the far-right. He made some controversial remarks about the Holocaust which caused him to be removed from his position as VP of the Academy of Fine Arts.

His work hasn't been embraced really by anyone since. It's a shame, because based on this film, he was obviously a tremendous talent.

Have you seen any of his other films Christine?
"Do you think it's dangerous to have Busby Berkeley dreams?" - The Magnetic Fields
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Ann Harding
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Post by Ann Harding »

Hi Mirnaloyisdope!

This is absolutely true that towards the end of his life, Autant-Lara made some terrible anti-semitic comments and he was sued for them. But I don't think the availability of his films is at all related to his own persona. It's more complex. In Le Diable au Corps's case, it's a problem with the Radiguet heirs (the original author of the novel).
In actual fact, quite a few Autant-Lara pictures are regularly shown on French TV. But, what 'killed' Autant-Lara - and many other French directors of the 50s - was the attack by the New Wave who called their films 'Qualité France'. On particular traget was Le Rouge et le Noir (1954), an adaptation of Stendhal, with Gérard Philipe and Danielle Darrieux. Truffaut literally slaughtered the film, very unfairly I believe. The film is very 'classic' in its form, that's true, but the two lead actors deliver a splendid performance. And to be frank, I would be hard pressed to find any other modern French actors who could do as well as they did.
Autant-Lara's two most famous films are: L'Auberge Rouge (1951) with Françoise Rosay and Fernandel. It's a comedy with a lot of dark humour about a couple of innkeepers (in the XVIIIth cent) who kill their guests during the night. The other one who is a real masterpiece is La Traversée de Paris (1956). The film showcases two blackmarketeers who crosses Paris during the German Occupation. Jean Gabin is absolutely wonderful -playing against type- as the cynical guy who is doing it for a lark while Bourvil -a great French comic- becomes the victim of Gabin's tactics.
A lot of Autant-Lara films were written by two excellent screenwriters: Jean Aurenche et Pierre Bost. Both of them suffered the onslaught of the New Wave. But, later in the 70s, they worked with Bertrand Tavernier and produced again some superb scripts. :wink:

As for Autant-Lara's work during the war, I have heard and read a lot of good about Sylvie et le Fantôme (1942) and Douce (1943). Fric-Frac (1939) is great fun because of its cast: Fernandel, Arletty and Michel Simon. :)
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Post by moira finnie »

Thanks so much for posting about this film, Gérard Philipe, and Claude Autant-Lara. While I've seen Philipe in several films, (most recently in the dvd of La Ronde), you've made me want to seek out his other (rather scant on dvd) films, as well as the work of Claude Autant-Lara.
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

Thank you for all the pictures :wink: it's made my Sunday afternoon
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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Ann Harding
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Re: Le Diable au Corps (1947)

Post by Ann Harding »

It looks as if this long thought after classic is going to see the light of day again! :) A new print is playing in cinemas in Paris and in a few weeks, it will be broadcast on TV. :D I'll come back to talk about it. :wink:
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