Film Review
I first saw this wonderful film in 1971 in London. As a very
impressionable and probably quite lonely young man I left the Mayfair
arthouse with my first tears for 10 years. I saw it again on TV a
couple of years later and was even more moved because I knew what was
coming !
God bless the internet in that I have recently obtained the
French language un-subtitled version. Do you know what - it's
lost none of its mesmeric power and it's really difficult to believe
that the young director and screenwriter Jean Gabriel Albicocco
produced nothing else of note in his career.
Le Grand Meaulnes is a faithful adaptation of the brilliant
Alain-Fournier novel of the same name. It is a searing evocation
of lost love and lost innocence. The camerawork in the flashback
sequences evokes raw emotion and some kind of ultimate psychedelic
experience which contrast wonderfully with the everyday school scenes
which are real and powerful.
If you've ever been in love you must see this film. I felt that
my heart had been uplifted into the sky and ripped out and discarded
within 100 minutes. The acting is powerful and affecting and if
you don't fall for Yvonne or Augustin you've lost your love mojo and
you need therapy.
It is the powerful direction coupled with the haunting soundtrack that
combine to lift this piece of art to such great heights. It's
done this to me and I'm a cynical 50 plus year-old who doesn't speak
French,
Do yourself a favour - open your mind and a bottle of wine, and press
the start button. This is just one of those happy moments when a
chance combination of story, director and cast falls into place and
achieves greatness. I am just grateful that I've experienced it.
© Steve Scott (Hull, United Kingdom) 2007
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Film Synopsis
One night, in the course of a strange party that takes place at a
remote residence lost in the woods of Sologne, Augustin Meaulnes
encounters Yvonne de Galais and immediately falls in love with her, so
entranced is he by her exquisite beauty. In the days that follow,
Augustin tries in vain to find the mysterious chateau, hoping to catch
another glimpse of the enchanting Yvonne. All that remains is a
marvellous memory of a fantastic dream...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.