Tout feu, tout flamme (1982) - film review

It has been several years since Pauline last saw her father, Victor.  Whilst he has been hiding away in North America after a series of ill-judged and slightly illegal ventures, she has had to take care of her two younger sisters and grandmother, whilst pursuing a career as a government adviser.  Imagine then her surprise when Victor makes a sudden reappearance.  Pauline’s suspicions over the motives of her father’s return prove to be well-founded...

Jean-Paul Rappeneau may not be the most prolific of film directors, but his films, when they arrive, at a rate of one or two a decade, are usually hailed with a wave of publicity.  This was true of  Tout feu, tout flame, Rappeneau’s second and final collaboration with high profile actor-singer Yves Montand; the two men had previously worked together on Le Sauvage (1975).  Apparently, Montand had the idea for this film after reading Shakespeare’s King Lear...

Here, in one of his later film appearances, Montand is paired with Isabelle Adjani, another highly regarded actor, but not one who was known for comedy roles.  Adjani’s love interest in this film is played by another well-known actor-singer Alain Souchon - the two would subsequently work together in Jean Becker’s 1983 film L’Été meurtrier.

It has to be said that Tout feu, tout flame is most definitely not Rappeneau’s finest hour.  It’s a film that has something of a crisis of identity – beginning as a sentimental comedy-drama, ending as a trashy parody thriller - and with a plot that appears to be the cinematic equivalent of a piece of self-assembled furniture: tacky, wobbly and looking suspiciously as if there are a few bits missing.  The film is mildly entertaining, but overall it’s something of a mess.

Montand is a delight to watch, but the same cannot quite be said of his co-stars.  Adjani’s approach to comedy is to simply overact like an amateur player – i.e.  lots of silly hand gestures, running about shrieking and wide-eyed staring at the camera.  Souchon shows more promise, but is underused – his character is so peripheral to the story that you’d hardly notice if his scenes were all cut.  The rest of the cast – with one notable exception – also have a tendency to overact and go for laughs, with the result that most of the good jokes in the film are spoiled.  In fact, apart from Montand, the only other actor who doesn’t disappoint is Jean-Luc Bideau, who does know how to play comedy, and does it brilliantly.

© James Travers 2007

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