L’Invitation au voyage (1927) - film review

Tired of being ignored by her husband, a young woman heads off one evening to a nautical-themed nightclub that is frequented by rowdy sailors.  Here, her attention is captured by an impossibly handsome naval officer.  He is drawn irresistibly to her table and the two dance and share a drink together.  The woman’s desires compel her to imagine a future life of freedom and happiness, far from the empty domestic life that is her current lot.  But then the officer sees her wedding ring and a locket containing a photograph of her small child.  He recoils and is soon dancing with another woman…

L’Invitation au voyage is the work of Germaine Dulac, the most prominent feminist writer, artist and filmmaker of her time.   One of the avant-garde cinematographers of the 1920s, Duluc saw film as a new art form for expressing ideas and conveying images in a way which would be impossible or inappropriate in other artistic media.  Her films are closer to abstract art or music than conventional cinema, are either surrealist or symbolic (indeed often both), and often revolve around feminine themes.  There is a striking originality and distinctiveness in her work that sets her apart from her contemporaries, and her films – of which this is a good example – are undeniably feminine (in the most positive sense).

Inspired by a few lines of the poet Baudelaire, L’Invitation au voyage tells a simple story about a woman’s rejection by her husband, her yearning for a fresh start with another man, and the ultimate realisation that she cannot escape from the reality of her situation.  With some imaginative use of “trick” photography Duluc manages to transport the spectator into her heroine’s world with great effect.  There is no need for dialogue – the images are sufficiently striking and unambiguous that we know how the heroine feels and what she is thinking.  It is a poignant and richly evocative short film, unique in its style and a testament to Duluc’s artistic skill and humanity.

© James Travers 2006

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