Pasteur (1935) - film review

For most of his career, medical researcher Louis Pasteur finds himself shunned, rejected by a scientific establishment which is unable to accept his radical theories.   Convinced that his research will lead to a deeper understanding of medicine, Pasteur pursues his crusade – alone, yet determined to succeed…

Sacha Guitry’s first sound film is as much a tribute to his father, Lucien Guitry, as to the great French scientist Louis Pasteur.  The film is closely based on a stage play which Lucien Guitry wrote and took the lead role in during the 1920s.   In playing the character of Pasteur in his film, Sacha Guitry is reputed to have modelled his performance on that of his father (who died in 1925), to preserve the memory of his father’s performance.  Guitry also wrote a powerful script for the film, which consists mainly of long monologues and – most unusually – includes no female characters.

© James Travers 2003

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