Film Review
Le Grand cirque is an easily
overlooked French war film adapted from a book of the same title by Pierre
Clostermann, recounting the latter's experiences as a fighter pilot in
the Free French Forces during WWII.
This was the fourth of ten films directed by Georges Péclet, who
began his career as an actor and appeared in over eighty films, often
in military roles in such film as Jean Renoir's
La Grande Illusion (1937) and
André Hugon's
Le Héros de la Marne (1938).
The dialogue was written by the journalist-turned-novelist Joseph
Kessel, shortly after he adapted his own war-time novel as the far
better known
Le Bataillon du ciel (1947).
In common with many French
war films made in the late 1940s,
Le Grand cirque was
a box office hit - it attracted an audience of three million.
Péclet was never a great director and
Le Grand cirque is marred by some
obvious flaws which undermine its impact somewhat. Most of the
film is set in England (at Biggin Hill), and a fair chunk of the
dialogue is in English, and yet only one member of the cast is English,
Pamela Skiff. The aerial combat sequences are impressively shot
and edited but there is an all too obvious mismatch between the archive
material (including excerpts from German propaganda films) and footage
that was shot for the film. The film lacks a strong narrative
thread to hold it together, and the characters are so poorly developed
that it is hard to engage with any of them. The abundance of war
film clichés has the unfortunate effect of making parts of the
film resemble a cruel parody of a wartime melodrama.
But there are also some good points. Imperfect though it is, the
film does convey a real sense of the strong bond of camaraderie between
the airmen, and also their courage and tenacity, without making them
out to be archetypal iron-willed action heroes. Whilst many
scenes are stiffly acted, awkwardy staged and fail to ring true, some
have a blistering authenticity. The best of these is the one set
in rural France, where Pierre Larquey, playing a priest, comes to the
aid of a pilot, saving him from a German patrol by hiding him in a
coffin on his hearse (
'Allo 'Allo
wasn't so far fetched after all). The presence of seasoned pros
like Larquey and Édouard Delmont gives the film some badly
needed jolts of down-to-earth realism, which the rest of the cast (most
apparently made of wood) appear ill-equipped to provide.
Le Grand cirque is by no means a
great film but it merits attention by dint of the heroic exploits it
depicts, in a surprisingly casual and understated manner. The
most striking thing about Péclet's film is that war is presented
not as an adventure or a great human tragedy, but as an unfortunate bit
of business to be dealt with as best you can.
© James Travers 2015
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
During WWII, French pilots are assigned to the British squadron at
Biggin Hill and take part in a series of dangerous reconnaissance and
combat missions. Pierre Despont, Jacques Desmarets and Jean
Loessig are three of these pilots, bound together by a close bond of
friendship. The casualty rate is high and the pilots' ranks are
gradually thinning. Shortly after embarking on a love affair with
an English woman in the RAF, Jacques is sent on a disastrous
mission. He parachutes to safety but will not rejoin his squadron
before the Allied invasion. His fiancée learns of his fate
by listening to reports on the radio...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.