Film Review
Whilst no one could deny that he is one of the great icons of French
cinema, it is a sad fact that Jean-Paul Belmondo's screen career ended
pretty well in abject failure. From the 1990s, his films were
mostly ridiculed by the critics and shunned by the cinema-going public,
although, more often than not, this can easily be accounted for (poor
scripts, inept direction or just bad taste). One film of this
period that deserves something better than the cold shoulder treatment
it received was Bernard Murat's adaptation of Sacha Guitry's play
Désiré, in which a
now white-haired Belmondo takes the central role, a womanising valet of
mature years who falls in love with his young mistress, a stunning
Fanny Ardant. Guitry himself had already adapted the play for
cinema back in 1937, so Murat and Belmondo had a hard act to
follow.
This was Murat's first film, although he had a proven track record as a
director in the theatre and directed Belmondo in two successful
theatrical productions -
Tailleur
pour dames (1993) and
La Puce
à l'oreille (1996). Most of the films that Murat
subsequently directed were for French television and include some other
worthy Guitry adaptations -
Le
Nouveau testament (2003),
Faisons
un rêve (2007) and
Mon
père avait raison (2008).
Désiré had been
conceived by producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier as the first in a
prestigious series of sceen adaptations of Sacha Guitry plays. It
was followed by
Quadrille
(1997) and
Le Comédien
(1997), although none of the films was a commercial success and the
project fell by the wayside. A completely botched distribution
and spate of bad reviews led
Désiré
to be a massive commercial flop, Belmondo's second least successful
film after the truly risible
Amazone (2000). The film
attracted a meagre audience of 130 thousand, a fraction of what
Belmondo's films regularly drew in his heyday (upwards of three
million). What makes this all the more surprising is that
Belmondo continued to enjoy great success on the stage, winning praise
from the critics and drawing large audiences.
Much of the criticism directed at
Désiré
condemned it for being a piece of filmed theatre. Murat's
mise-en-scène is certainly more theatrical than filmic, and this
inevitably gives the film a static feel that tends to stifle the humour
and vitality of Guitry's play, which would undoubtedly be improved by a
more modern interpretation. Another killer fault is Jean-Claude
Petit's omnipresent music (muzak might be a better word), which soon
becomes distracting and merely accentuates the static nature of Murat's
direction. On the other hand, it is hard to fault the
performances, and to do so would almost be an act of sacrilege given
the abundance of acting talent the film offers.
Despite his advancing years, Belmondo is as lively as ever, not just
coping but positively revelling in some of the longest speeches he has
ever had to deliver in front of a film camera. It is one of the
actor's better performances, funny, poignant and totally compelling -
age suits Belmondo better than most actors of his generation.
Fanny Ardant's youth and sensual exuberance provide a bitter
counterpoint and the two actors work together so well that you end up
longing to see them together in a contemporary drama. A superb
supporting cast (Claude Rich, Béatrice Dalle, Jean Yanne and
Dominique Lavanant) more than does justice to Guitry's play and
provides enough amusement to make the film enjoyable even for those who
are not great fans of Bébel.
Désiré may not be a
masterpiece but neither is it the congealed turkey those misguided
critics of the 1990s led us to expect.
© James Travers 2015
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Film Synopsis
Désiré would be the perfect valet were it not for his
unerring ability for stealing the heart of every woman he meets.
Désiré's latest employer, a minister named Montignac, has
no notion of his philandering past but it isn't long before his
mistress, the beautiful Odette, falls for his charms. During a
stay in Deauville, Odette utters Désiré's name in her
sleep and her household soon begins to suspect that she is having an
affair with the valet. Despite his suspicions, Montignac must
return to Paris to deal with a change of government, leaving Odette and
Désiré alone together...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.