La Symphonie fantastique (1942) - film review

The life and times of one of the greatest of French composers.  When he is not immersed in his compositions, Hector Berlioz lives a full life with his numerous friends and women.  Nowhere is his passion for life shown more forcefully than in his Symphonie fantastique ...

Christian-Jaque directed this grand but somewhat anaemic historical bio-pic, made for the Germany-run company Continental at the time of the Occupation.   Although the sequence where Berlioz realises his Symphonie fantastique is filmed imaginatively, the film generally lacks the creative impulse and atmosphere of Christian-Jaque’s other works of this period.   Jean-Louis Barrault turns in a respectable performance as the flamboyant Berlioz, although the film’s shameless lack of historical authenticity is goading to anyone interested in an accurate portrayal of the composer’s life.

© James Travers 2003

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