Il ne faut jurer de rien! (2005) - film review

Paris, 1830.  Another revolution, another vacancy on the French throne.  It’s a great time for free enterprise though.  Georges van Buck, the owner of a tailoring business, imagines that he will soon own the most exclusive fashion house in France, if he can just think up a name for it.  One of his clients, the Baroness de Mantes, is unable to settle her debts with him, so she agrees to allow her daughter Cécile to marry his nephew Valentin – an alliance which will earn Georges great prestige.  There are just three drawbacks to the scheme.  Firstly, Valentin and Cécile have never met.  Secondly, Cécile has caught the revolutionary mood and has next to no sympathy for her pro-monarchy mother.  Thirdly, and most importantly, Valentin is a diehard waster and a libertine, who would rather eat his own intestines than get married...

Here’s a throwback to one kind of film that was once hugely popular – particularly in the 1960s – but which has become comparatively rare: the family-friendly comedy-historical.  Il ne faut jurer de rien has echoes of many classic films of this genre – from Cartouche (1962) to Les Mariés de l’an II (1971), with a smattering of Fanfan la Tulipe (1953).  It’s a glossy production, with a touch of the Jane Austens about it, well-paced, cheeky, engaging and with a plethora of likeably eccentric characters – in short, a surprisingly enjoyable romp.

The film is loosely based "On ne badine pas avec l’amour", a play by the great 19th Century French writer Alfred de Musset.  Whilst the film can in no way match the subtlety, depth and maturity of Musset’s play, and whilst it does have a few defects (notably a tendency for silliness and vulgarity in a few places), it is nonetheless a spirited and highly entertaining mainstream rom-com, the kind of film you’d sit down and watch on a dreary winter’s day to cheer yourself up.

The film’s main attraction is its triumvirate of leading actors.  Gérard Jugnot needs no introduction – he’s well cast (as ever) and gives great value (as ever).  As the female lead, Mélanie Doutey is mouth-wateringly delectable, showing far greater promise than her recent film-work would have suggested.  The big revelation is Jean Dujardin who, since his film debut five years before, has hardly made such a big impact.  With the physique of Belmondo and charisma of Gérard Philipe, Dujardin looks destined to be a major star in French cinema, filling a gap (the dashing romantic hero) that has been quite apparent in recent years.

© James Travers 2007

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