Marianne de ma jeunesse (1955) - film review

The Heiligenstadt estate in Bavaria has become a private school for the male offspring of the well-to-do.  There, the boys have organised themselves into two factions - the Sages, led by the sensible Manfred, and the Brigands, led by the hot-headed Alexis.  One day, the school has a new arrival: Vincent, an amiable adolescent who has grown up on a farm in Argentina.  Vincent’s other worldly charms interest not just the other boys but also Lise, the ward of the school’s headmaster.  Believing that Vincent can sense the presence of ghosts, the Brigands persuade him to come with them to a deserted manor across the lake from the school.  Left behind, alone, in the empty house, Vincent encounters the most beautiful young woman and instantly falls in love with her.  Her name is Marianne.  When he returns to the school, Vincent cannot help thinking about the strange woman.  In a fit of jealousy, Lise kills one of the deer that he has befriended.  Realising that Marianne is in the greatest of danger, Vincent feels compelled to return to the house...

Marianne de ma jeunesse is an unusual departure for Julien Duvivier, yet it is easily one of his finest, most evocative films, showing a rare glimpse of his more human side.  In contrast to the director’s more familiar dark psychological dramas and cynical thrillers, this is a romantic fable, having a charm, tenderness and visual style that is more recognisably Cocteau than Duvivier.  The director eschews his trademark noir approach for something more in the classical romantic tradition, with ethereal Arcadian landscapes and Gothic sets that look like something from an Edgar Allen Poe story.  It is a strangely compelling film, one that exudes poetry – a simple yet very effective kind of poetry which is poignant and soul-stirring, like a thoughtful elegiac poem for an unattainable love.  In his first screen role, Pierre Vaneck is remarkable as the enigmatic youth Vincent.   His part was played by Horst Buchholz in the German version Marianne, meine Jugendliebe which Duvivier made simultaneously with this French version.


© James Travers 2007

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