Book review - "Jean Gabin: The Man Who Was France" by Joseph Harriss

 Gabin's a very good actor, extremely effective in some films. Made some legendary movies especially in the late 30s, no so much after the War. He was a nepo baby in a way, in that his father was in the biz, but he worked his way up.

A decent book. Relies a lot on the work of others but some fresh stuff, like a quote from Brigitte Bardot. And it's put together in an easy to read style.

My main thing: Gabin was a wanker. A bore. Got some good movies but that maybe was more luck. Most redeeming thing was his war service - only he and Jean Pierre Aumont had good reacords on that, apparently. But he beat Marlene Dietrich and I'm sure there would've been others. He whinged. Sooked about the state of France, new directors, women. Wouldn't attend his daughter's wedding. Just an old whiny wanker.

I totally respect what he did as an actor and star and a French icon. I just got a bit sick of him.

Movie review - "Bad Seed" (1934) **

 Billy wilder's first film as director, made during his brief stint in Paris before heading to the US. Its about a playboy Pierre Mindand, a skinny dued, who gets mixed up with car thieves. Dannielle Darrieux is the girl - she was very young, and plays the brother of one of the gang.

It's a cheapie but at least there's location filming as opposed to cheap studio work. It's rickety and feels made up on the spot with lots of scenes of people driving around but has its own nervous energy. There's a black actor amongst the gang. The plot involves the gang of thieves wanting a pay rise from their boss!

It sort of ambles along and then ends. Interesting to watch. Not terrible. But really only for Wilder completists.

Movie review - "The Great Game" (1934) aka "The Grand Jeu" ***1/2

I'm not super familiar with the French films of the 1930s, the era of poetic realism. Sometimes films from different periods and cultures can intimidate when you read about them because other people have so much more familiarity with them.

This is apparently one of the better known movies from the time. It was made by Jacques Feyder who directed some English language films including Knight Without Aarmoud..

Pierre Richard-Willm plays a playboy who lives beyond his means while romancing Marie Bell. He winds up embezzling, getting busted, and his family tell him he has to hot tail it to the colonies in disgrace (I thought this was a British thing but clearly it happened in France too.... what happens now without colonies to cover up scandals?) Willm's romance with Bell is cynically depicted at the star - she won't go with him basically because he won't have any money.

He runs off to the Foreign Legion, and meets a prostitute, who practically has "I am a tragic figure" tattooed across her forehead.He tries to turn her into a version of his old love. He winds up killing a barman, they cover it up, he comes into money, runs into his ex... it's pretty soapie, i.e. melodramatic, but effective.

The photography is gorgeous, the acting very fine, the story moves ahead with decent twists and turns. The female characters are either tragic hookers or shallow mistresses or jovial but tragic bartenders; the men are tormented by the women but would rather hang out with other men.

Movie review - "Mayerling" (1936) ****

A big hit in France and also an art house favourite in English speaking countries which launched the Hollywood career of Anatole Litvak. Deservedly so because he does an excellent job ensuring the tone of this works.

This was the first time I'd ever seen Charles Boyer actually act in French and he does a superb job as the tragic Rudolph - seeking love, sulky, wanting change but too weak to stand up to his father, self-pitying (I was reminded a lot of Prince Charles, forever wanting people to feel sorry for him). Danielle Darrieux is perfect as his young lover - naive, enchanting, completely in over her head. Boyer kills the poor thing, then himself - but you buy it dramatically.

There is solid support work from the other actors, and a surprising amount of scenes where characters watch musical numbers at the opera or nightclubs.

Radio review – Lux – “Mayerling” (1939) ***

William Powell chats at the end of this production to talk about poor old Emperor Franz Josef – his beautiful wife died years before he did, his brother Max was killed in Mexico by a firing squad, one son was assassinated in Sarajevo, another killed himself in Mayerling in a suicide pact with his mistress. All incidents have been dramatised many times – this is a version of the Mayerling incident. Although this was the Austrian-Hungary equivalent of the JFK assassination (i.e. people loved to talk about “what really happened”, coming up with many conspiracy theories), this treats the story straight forward: married man falls in love with young girl. He shoots her then kills himself.

Powell plays the dim, sulky Prince Rudolph very well; Janet Gaynor is less effective as his doomed young lover – she plays the part kind of like Debbie Reynolds/Sandra Dee. The character of Rudolph’s wife is barely featured, presumably to downplay the fact it’s about an adulterous couple. Still, it’s a great story and can’t help be moving. 

(NB This was a rare Lux film adapted from a French movie rather than a Hollywood one – to wit, the 1937 French hit with Charles Boyer.)

(NNB Just thinking about it – did the fate of Prince Rudolph prompt Edward VIII – another famous Royal sook totally unsuited to his calling – to abdicate?)