Chiens perdus sans collier (1955) - film review

A parentless young boy Alain Robert is placed into the care of a rural farming family.  Bullied and abused, he sets fire to a barn and runs away to the town.   Alain allows himself to be placed into the custody of Judge Lamy, who arranges for him to be sent to an observation centre for juvenile delinquents in the country.   Here, Alain strikes up a friendship with an older boy, Francis, who is determined to escape so that he can rejoin his pregnant girlfriend…

Chiens perdus sans collier is director Jean Delannoy’s rare attempt to tackle real social issues, although he is noticeably less successful than in his other films. This is in spite of the fact that the film is competently made and features some creditable acting performances.  The film looks good, it makes entertaining viewing, but it just doesn’t ring true.

The film’s evident artificiality made it a sitting target for the reactionary film critics of the time, most notably François Truffaut (who would develop an intense hostility towards Delannoy in later years). Chiens perdus sans collier is certainly a good example of the uninspired kind of film which French cinema churned out in the 1950s, although it is not in itself necessarily a bad film.

© James Travers 2001

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