Le Sucre (1978) - film review

To raise some desperately needed capital, a naïve tax inspector, Adrien Courtois, allows himself to be persuaded by a speculator Renaud d’Homécourt to invest his wife’s savings in sugar.  At the time, 1974, the world is suffering from a serious shortage of sugar, and the investment looks like a sound one.  Sure enough, Adrien’s shares begin to soar in value, and he begins to plan his sweet, millionaire future.  Then the bubble bursts.  New stocks of sugar flood the market and Adrien is ruined…

Inspired by the real-life sugar crisis of 1974, this film is an entertaining satire on the world of big finance and speculation.  Although the story is a little bland, the film succeeds overall because of the fine performances from Gérard Depardieu and Jean Carmet.  The unlikely pairing of an anarchistic con-artist and a tired middle-aged civil servant works surprisingly well, and this is certainly the focus of the film.   The two actors won Césars in 1980 for their parts in this film (Best Actor for Depardieu, Best Supporting Actor for Carmet).

© James Travers 2001

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