Les Grandes familles (1958)

Les Grandes familles is a French film first released in 1958, directed by Denys de La Patellière.  The film stars Jean Gabin, Annie Ducaux, Jean Desailly, Françoise Christophe and Patrick Millow.  It has also been released under the title: The Possessors.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Noël Schoudler is the head of a wealthy and powerful family in France.  He manages his financial and commercial concerns with an iron grip, leaving little room for his son François to prove himself.  His arch-rival is his wealthy cousin, Lucien, who is the black sheep of the family, a dissolute wastrel.  In an attempt to teach Lucien a lesson, Schoudler hands over one of his businesses to his son, knowing that this will result in financial problems.  However, he has underestimated Lucien’s cunning and the scheme backfires, with tragic consequences…

Many years before the ruthless back-biting antics of the Ewings of Dallas shook the western world, there was a popular French film which tackled similar territory, with almost equal success.  That film was Les Grandes familles, a pretty run-of the-mill drama concerned with a deadly feud between two cousins of a notoriously successful family dynasty.  Although the plot is a little flat by today’s standards, the film remains an impressive example of late 1950s cinema, almost entirely because of the quality of acting performances.   The film also benefits from a good script from Michel Audiard, probably the most esteemed script writer in France at the time.

The most striking thing about this film is the quality of the acting.  Pierre Brasseur, although too often cast as the mad bad villain, is perfectly cast here.  His character is deliciously bad, blessed with a disarming charm that conceals a thoroughly warped view of the world.  Opposite him is Jean Gabin in the role of the obsessive Noël Schoudler, a surprisingly tough role for an actor better known for his flamboyant charm and comic side.  The part places great demands on the actor which Gabin more than fulfils.  Here we see Gabin the tyrant, with no place for sentiment, a hard-hearted self-obsessed capitalist.   Of course, all is not what it first seems and, through a series of circumstances, the true colours of Schoudler are finally revealed and Gabin immediately wins back our sympathy.  Two other well-known faces are caught up in the Gabin-Brasseur feud, namely Jean Desailly and Bernard Blier, who again appear to be perfectly cast and give some moving performances.

As the final dual is played out on the French stock exchange (well filmed with stock footage of the real exchange), the film makes an uncompromisingly damning statement on the power of money to corrupt and destroy.  This is the film’s climax, a gripping indictment of the sick capitalist society which nurtures and then wrecks les grandes familles.

© James Travers 2000

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