L'Étrange désir de Monsieur Bard (1953) Directed by Géza von Radványi
Comedy / Drama
aka: Strange Desire of Mr. Bard
Film Review
This whimsical moral tale, dressed up as a French situation comedy, allows actor Michel
Simon to shine in one of his most poignant film creations. Although the film, from
Hungarian director Géza von Radványi, does not have the stature of a Renoir,
a Carné or a Vigo (just three of the monumental directors to have worked with Simon),
it is still an engaging work, with some moments of tenderness and some great comedy.
Simon's presence alone gives the film the tone of a serious classic work, although this
is undermined somewhat by some bizarre excesses (for example, the drawn-out pre-credit
sequence).
The film's strange mix of comedy and drama makes it an unusual work, quite different from
most French comic films of this period - a modern fable with a distinctly humanist edge
to it. One of the pleasures of this the film are the contributions from the supporting
cast, which include Paul Frankeur as a billiard-playing priest and an astonishingly young-looking
Louis de Funès as a clownish authoritarian rogue, the character that French cinema
audiences would one day come to adore - in their millions.
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
When he learns that he has only a short time left to live, Auguste Bard, a solitary bachelor
in his fifties, feels a desperate need to be loved. Having been forced to retire
from his job as a coach driver for a casino, he throws away his pension on the gambling
tables but, to his surprise, he ends up winning a fortune. He decides to use the
money to pay for a woman to give him a child whom he can cherish for what little remains
of his life. Bard manages to find a young woman who will agree to his strange request,
a dancer named Donata. His money-grabbing family are unimpressed and are determined
to have him certified as a madman so that they can take possession of his fortune...
Script: René Barjavel (dialogue),
Géza von Radványi
Cinematographer: Léonce-Henri Burel
Music: Jean-Jacques Grünenwald
Cast:Michel Simon (Auguste Bard),
Yves Deniaud (Antonio),
Geneviève Page (Donata),
Georgette Anys (Julie),
Louis de Funès (M. Chanteau),
Paul Demange (Le docteur nerveux),
Paul Frankeur (Le curé),
Henri Arius (Le commissaire),
Maurice Bénard (Le directeur du casino),
Lucien Callamand (Le notaire),
Yvonne Claudie (Caroline),
Jacques Erwin (L'huissier du casino),
Colette Ricard (Béatrice),
Henri Crémieux (Ernest, l'épicier),
François Carron (Le médecin de la maternité),
Félix Clément (Le premier docteur),
Emma Lyonel (La directrice),
Jean Clément,
Claudio Ermelli,
Michel Gerbier
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 110 min
Aka:Strange Desire of Mr. Bard ;
L'étrange désir de Monsieur Bard
The best of American cinema
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.
The cinema of Japan is noteworthy for its purity, subtlety and visual impact. The films of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa are sublime masterpieces of film poetry.
Science-fiction came into its own in B-movies of the 1950s, but it remains a respected and popular genre, bursting into the mainstream in the late 1970s.
A wave of fresh talent in the late 1950s, early 1960s brought about a dramatic renaissance in French cinema, placing the auteur at the core of France's 7th art.