Film Review
Le Secret de Polichinelle
vaguely resembles one of Marcel Pagnol's early films but it was in fact
adapted from a stage play by Pierre Wolff and directed by André
Berthomieu. One of French cinema's most prolific filmmakers (he
directed almost seventy films in thirty years), Berthomieu was adept at
turning out middlebrow crowdpleasers but was by no means an auteur, and
all but a handful of his films now languish in obscurity. Despite
its unpromising scenario,
Le Secret
de Polichinelle is one of Berthomieu's more engaging offerings,
and it owes this entirely to the sublime performances from its lead
actors, Raimu and Françoise Rosay.
In the hands of a less capable actor than Raimu, the scene in which the
prim bourgeois capitalist Jouvenel is transformed into a doting
grandfather by the sight of his infant grandson could so easily have
been unbearably slushy. We can all recall Raimu's heartrending
scene at the end of Pagnol's
La Femme du boulanger (1938)
when the baker forgives his unfaithful wife, and the actor is no less
affecting in the key scene in
Le
Secret de Polichinelle, where Jouvenel's humanity gets the
better of his cold bourgeois reserve. Rosay has almost the same
impact in a similar scene later in the film, and, as she gently plays
on our heartstrings, we can easily see why she was regarded as one of
the greatest French actresses of her generation.
Le Secret de Polichinelle
could so easily have been a great film if only it were not for its
mundane script and Berthomieu's mostly uninspired direction (for the
most part, the film looks like a filmed stageplay). In addition
to the knockout performances from Raimu and Rosay, there is an amusing
turn from André Alerme (a talented character actor with
considerable comic flair who is sadly all but forgotten today) and some
authentic contributions from Bernard Lancret and Janine Crispin.
Had it been a conventional melodrama, the film would have been a tad
stilted and stuffy, but thankfully it is pitched somewhere between
comedy and drama, thereby making the best use of the talents its two
legendary lead actors.
© James Travers 2015
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Monsieur and Madame Jouvenel are a respectable bourgeois couple who
intend that their son Henri will marry the daughter of respectable
bourgeois parents and follow their example. Unfortunately, Henri
not only has a girlfriend he knows his parents will disapprove of but
also a five year old son, Robert. When this bombshell is dropped
at their feet the Jouvenels are understandably appalled and will have
nothing more to do with Henri and his distinctly unbourgeois
menagerie. When he sees a photograph of little Robert, Monsieur
Jouvenel has a change of heart and, without his wife knowing, pays a
personal call on Henri's girlfriend. The fusty businessman is
soon won over by the adorable little boy and starts making regular
visits, bringing presents whenever he calls. Completely unaware
of this, Madame Jouvenel decides she must see her grandson and, without
telling her husband, pays him a visit...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.