Un amour de Swann (1984) - film review

Jewish intellectual Charles Swann has overcome prejudice and now occupies a prominent position in society, enjoying the friendship of such notables as the Baron de Charlus.  All this he is prepared to risk in his pursuit of an uncontrollable lust for a younger woman with a dubious past, Odette de Crecy.  Swann’s relentless jealousy and desire to possess Odette progressively erodes his passion.  He realises, too late, that the love he ultimately secures is scarcely worth having...

It is widely accepted that Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu is the one literary work that tacitly defies translation to the big screen.  It is not just the length of the monumental work that should put off any sane film director; the complexity of Proust’s narrative style and the interweaving of some many diverse themes are guaranteed to make any film adaptation a doomed venture.  This doesn’t mean that some filmmakers haven’t tried however…

In Un amour de Swann, German director Volker Schlöndorff took up the challenge and adapted a small, yet substantial, segment of Proust’s work.  Whilst the result is far from perfect, the film’s production values are excellent, and Schlöndorff goes someway to capturing the ethereal mood and rich complexity of Proust’s writing.   There is some evocative cinematography from Sven Nykvist (a collaborator of such masters as Ingmar Bergman), which skilfully conveys the oppressive nature of the period in which the film is set and also the dangerous all-consuming frenzy that is romantic passion.

On the downside, Jeremy Irons’ portrayal of Swann is too cold and distant for him to be engaging or convincing, and Ornella Muti appears to be an obvious casting error.  The only sympathetic character is the Baron de Charlus, a disillusioned gay aristocrat portrayed with surprising sensitivity by Alain Delon.  Overall, the film’s lack of passion and intensity makes it a ponderous and lacklustre work, although it does offer a few moments of artistic brilliance – notably the film’s haunting and rather poignant ending.

© James Travers 2005

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