Faux et usage de faux (1990) - film review

The writer Anatole Hirsch has become one of the most eminent literary figures in France.  But whilst his books sell very respectably he is increasingly convinced this is because of his celebrity and not a reflection of the merit of his work.  Consequently, he decides to publish his next novel under the pseudonym Émile Arthus.  The novel is a great success and wins the coveted French literary award, the Prix Goncourt.  To keep up the deception, Hirsch engages his nephew Martin to pretend to be the book’s author.  At first Martin appreciates the celebrity and wealth this newfound success buys him, but then the stress on his marriage and his relationship with Hirsh soon begins to tell.  Things come to a head when Hirsch’s next novel, again written under his pseudonym, proves to be a disaster.

This film is loosely based on the true story of the well-known writer Romain Gary.  Under the pseudonym Emile Ajar, Gary published a novel “la Vie devant soi” which was a great success, winning the Prix Goncourt in 1975 before being adapted as an Oscar-winning film (which starred Simone Signoret) in 1977.  Despite the director’s disclaimer at the start of the film, Faux et usage de faux accurately parallels all of the incidents in this extraordinary affair, demonstrating that fact is often stranger than fiction.

Philippe Noiret and Robin Renucci take the principal roles in the film, Noiret’s darkly introspective performance as the solitary maverick writer being particularly memorable.  Overall the film feels unjustifiably slow-paced and anaemic.  Its director, Laurent Heynemann, does little to make the closeted little world of writers and publishers of much interest to a general audience, although, to its credit, the film does offer some insight into this world.   In spite of a solid performance from Noiret and a generally well-written script, the film has surprisingly little impact and its only real selling point is that it references one of the most remarkable deceptions in French literary history.

© James Travers 2004

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