![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
I know we discussed it in the Boyer thread.
Your comments make me laugh. Now I'm going to have to watch it again, ever a problem when Boyer is involved even if it isn't one of his most romantic roles.knitwit45 wrote:She says she knows they are guilty in THOUGHT only. And Boyer is going to 'snap her out of it' (or words to that effect) as he puts down his cane and cape and shuts all the windows, and pulls all the curtains shut. h'mmmmm. His character probably thought making love to his WIFE was 'shenanigans'...
I really coludn't add anymore to Maria Chapdelaine, although I did wonder where it had been filmed as the landscape was both breathtaking and scary. I'm looking forward to Guelles D A'mour next.kingrat wrote:I enjoyed Maria Chapdelaine (1934), although this is centered around Madeleine Renaud, with Jean Gabin as one of her three suitors. Maria is a young woman whose family lives in such a remote area of Quebec that in winter they are cut off from the nearest village, Peribonka. Her mother suffers from this isolation, although she loves her husband and family. Maria has three suitors: the fur trapper Francois Paradis (love that name!), played by Gabin; a young Belgian, Lorenzo, who wants her to take her to Montreal; and Eutrope (love that name, too), a big lug who wants to give her the same life that her father has given her mother. By the way, there's also a boy in the story named Tit-Be.
Some of the location shots are as scary as they are beautiful, to a city boy like me. Julien Duvivier directs skillfully, although the ending is abrupt. When Gabin becomes feverish during a long winter trek, the background spins around. Unfortunately, the print TCM showed is not in good condition, especially in one reel where vertical lines on the screen made it appear that several filmstrips had been pieced together. Madeleine Renaud is a decade or so too old to play Maria, but she's a capable actress (best-known as one of the great stage actresses in France). Gabin is the man she truly loves, and no wonder.
Maria Chapdelaine makes me want to see more of Duvivier's work, and thanks again to our own AnnHarding for recommending it. She also recommended Remorques, which I liked as much as CCFan did.
My pleasure!kingrat wrote: Maria Chapdelaine makes me want to see more of Duvivier's work, and thanks again to our own AnnHarding for recommending it. She also recommended Remorques, which I liked as much as CCFan did.
Fossy - I agree that this version is way better than the MGM film. The main draw for me in seeing this version, was to catch the performance of Mia Slavenska as La Karine. I had not known of her until I saw the fabulous documentary Ballet Russes (2005), where she makes one of the most unforgettable appearances of all the retired ballet stars. I was quite impressed with her dancing in Ballerina, as well as her acting and screen presence.Fossy wrote:Ballerina (1937) aka La Mort du Cygne ( The Death Of The Swan)
Despite being in French with English sub-titles I feel that this is far superior to the American remake The Unfinished Dance (1947).
The American Soldier is very good and I also like Gods of the Plague and Beware of a Holy Whore. I've not seen The Niklashausen Journey.MikeBSG wrote:Basically, I'm coming to the conclusion that most pre-"Merchant of the Four Seasons" Fassbinder films aren't worth looking up.