Film Review
Between two lavish period films -
Madame
Sans-Gêne (1962) and
La
Tulipe noire (1963) - Christian-Jaque made an altogether
different kind of film, a serious crime-drama which, on the face of it,
appears to be an outright spoof of the conscience-stirring efforts that
André Cayatte had begun to churn out as part of a sustained
campaign to expose the failings of the French judicial system.
Adapted from a novel of the same title by the journalist-author Jean
Laborde,
Les Bonnes causes certainly
has its feet set in Cayatte territory but Christian-Jaque manages to
impose his own voice on the narrative and give it a dark and sinister
feel, very different in tone from the boisterous crowd-pleasers that
dominated the last phase of his busy career.
From the opening murder scene to the gripping conclusion, the spectator
is hooked as the film wends its way across some very bleak and
unsettling terrain, providing as it does a sobering reflection on the
power of manipulation used by unscrupulous lawyers to secure an unfair
legal victory. The compelling judicial duel that it depicts
between an investigating judge and a driven lawyer reminds us that, in
a criminal case, what matters is not the facts nor the events but the
meaning attached to them. In the hands of an experienced lawyer,
truth can be as malleable as wet putty, easily moulded into a noose
to hang the innocent.
Les Bonnes causes is not a
whodunit (the real culprit is revealed to us at the start of the film)
but more an astute blend of suspense drama and social commentary which
follows the merciless and inexorable progress of a two-tier justice
system that is inherently biased in favour of the better off.
Henri Jeanson's customarily sharp dialogue adds lustre to a
well-crafted script and Georges Garvarentz's moody score helps to
sustain the film's atmosphere and tension.
Heading a prestigious cast is Bourvil in one of his most convincing
dramatic roles as the humane judge Albert Gaudet. Pierre Brasseur
makes a superb contrast as the cynical and untrustworthy lawyer Charles
Cassidi, leaving us in no doubt that, even in the twilight of his
career, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Having shone in
Michel Deville's
Adorable menteuse (1962),
Marina Vlady is perfect for the role of Catherine Dupré, the
victim's wife and obnoxious instigator of this murky judicial chronicle.
An Italian film goddess who enjoyed international fame in the 1960s
(she famously turned down the lead in Roger Vadim's
Barbarella
and the role of Bond girl in
From Russia with Love), Virna
Lisi is a surprising but effective choice for the part of the fragile
nurse Gina Bianchi who becomes the victim of the flawed French legal
machine. Italian actor Umberto Orsini acquits himself admirably as the
devoted defence lawyer Philliet, amid a distinguished supporting cast
that includes Hubert Deschamps, Jacques Monod, Hubert Noël and
José-Luis de Villalonga.
By the 1960s, critics were quick to condemn Christian-Jaque when his
films failed to match up to the quality of his earlier successes.
Like many of his contemporaries he was frequently labelled
démodé, tired and
irrelevant, at a time when the Young Turks of the French New Wave were
stealing all the thunder and chaotically re-writing the cinematic rule
book. Whilst much of Christian-Jaque's later films are overlooked
(and in some cases rightfully so) there are a few that are well worth
seeing -
Les Bonnes causes
and
Le Repas des fauves
(1964) being prime examples of this - as they evoke the pessimism and
compassion of the director's earlier classics,
Boule
de suif (1945) and
Un revenant (1946).
Despite its gloomy subject matter
Les
Bonnes causes was a notable box office hit, attracting an
audience of 1.7 million in France - a sign that whilst the critics had
lost faith with Christian-Jaque, French cinemagoers had not.
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2013
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Next Christian-Jaque film:
La Tulipe noire (1964)