Film Review
La Bergère d'Ivry is an
early silent short film by Maurice Tourneur, one of the great
auteurs of French cinema whose work is now sadly overlooked. It is in fact one of the
last films that Tourneur made in his native France before
moving to America where he set up his own film production
company and rapidly acquired the reputation of one of the world's
leading cineastes, through such films as
A Doll's House (1918)
and
The Last of the Mohicans (1921).
Whilst it may lack the sophistication and artistry of Tourneur's later films,
La Bergère d'Ivry is a
charming little piece which tells a simple story with understated
lyricism. The film includes one of Tourneur's earliest
uses of shadow play to suggest menace - the disturbing shot where
François is considering how to avenge his betrayal.
Shadows feature a great deal in Tourneur's work - most notably
his dark fantasy
La Main du diable (1943) -
providing an effective visual metaphor for the darker side of human nature and a
representation of those unseen external forces which determine our
destinies, as in the work of the German expressionists
and subsequent film noir. Tourneur's son Jacques would use the same
device in many of his best films, including
Cat People (1942).
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Maurice Tourneur film:
Alias Jimmy Valentine (1915)
Film Synopsis
Aimée, an attractive young shepherdess, cannot conceal her gratitude
when Hortense Fauvel, the kindly wife of the village postmaster, offers her
a job as a housemaid in her house. It is not long before the girl finds
an admirer in the Fauvel's faithful servant, François, and they soon
decide to get married. But before they can tie the knot Fate throws
them a nasty surprise. It happens on the day of a fête hosted
by the Count of Granval. Unbeknown to the postmaster, the count intends
taking advantage of this distraction so that he can have a romantic tryst
with his wife.
Aimée is horrified when she hears of this. Fearful of the scandal
that may befall her benefactor, she tells the postmaster that it is she,
not Hortense, who has been carrying on an affair with the count. Of
course, this admission results in Aimée losing her job, but what she
hadn't expected was how badly François would take the news.
He recalls that, on the day of the fête, his sweetheart gave him a
knife, telling him to kill her if ever she should prove unfaithful to him.
Embittered, François considers whether he should do as Aimée
instructed and slay the one who has broken his heart...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.