Film Review
Jean Cocteau's 1929 novel about two adolescent siblings trapped in a
near-incestuous relationship was provocative when it was first
published but its transition to the big screen met with even stronger
condemnation. Many commentators in the French media attacked it
for its blatant allusions to incest (citing the infamous scene in which
the brother and sister take a bath together) whilst the Catholic press
was adamant that the film was unsuitable for
anyone to watch. For all
the hostility it stirred up,
Les Enfants
terribles is a work of considerable merit which
distinguishes itself from most films of its time, not only in its
controversial subject matter, but also in its distinctive
design and unsettling lyricism.
The film was the product of one of the most improbable
partnerships in cinema history, between the poet-playwright Jean Cocteau and
filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville (who is best known today for his hardboiled
gangster films). Cocteau chose Melville to adapt his novel having
seen his debut film
Le Silence de la mer (1949),
which he considered a cinematic revolution. The film they made
together is not perfect - it lacks the lucidity and coherence of
Cocteau's own directorial efforts - but it is an inspired cinematic
digression into unchartered territory. What it delivers is a
chilling depiction of an obsessive love between a brother and sister - a
brutally destructive
amour fou which poisons not just their own lives but
also the lives of those around them.
To say that Melville and Cocteau had difficulty seeing eye to eye would
be to understate things somewhat. They could hardly agree on
anything. Cocteau foisted his young protegé Edouard
Dermithe onto Melville, insisting he play Paul, even though he is
patently too old and too inexperienced for the part. Likewise,
Cocteau objected to Melville's choice of Nicole Stéphane for the
part of Elisabeth - the actress had previously featured in
Le Silence de la mer (1949) and
gives her best performance in this film. Another source of
contention was the casting of actress Renée Cosima for the dual
role Dargelos-Agathe, in a somewhat clumsy attempt to reinforce
Cocteau's original homoerotic concept (the attempt fails as Cosima is
not remotely convincing as a teenage boy). Melville and Cocteau
even disagreed on the choice of music, Melville finally getting his way
by using classical music (Vivaldi and Bach). The poor working
relationship between Cocteau and Melville is reflected in the film's
uneven texture, lack of narrative focus and the all too obvious conflict
between the former's unworldly poetry and the latter's bitter
materialism. The film should have been a disaster but somehow it isn't.
What saves
Les
Enfants terribles and prevents it from slipping into a chaotic
mishmash of conflicting artistic visions is some superlative work from
cinematographer Henri Decaë, which miraculously irons out the
artistic differences between author and director. Decaë had
already broken new ground on
Le
Silence de la mer, using the camera and lighting in a way that
achieves much greater realism and intimacy than traditional
techniques. Decaë would later become one of the most
sought-after directors of the French New Wave, working on Claude
Chabrol's
Le Beau Serge (1958), Louis
Malle's
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
(1958) and François Truffaut's
Les 400 coups (1959), as well
as some of Melville's best films, including
Le
Samouraï (1967). Decaë's work on
Les Enfants terribles is especially
noteworthy - his
use of reflections, unusual camera motion (achieved through use of a
hand-held camera), and shots taken from the most unexpected angles achieve the eeriest
dreamlike feel. What Decaë creates is a darkly oppressive mindscape that powerfully evokes
the twisted relationship of the two principal
characters. Together, Decaë and Melville take
Cocteau's haunting study in sibling mutual dependency and fashion from
it one of the most innovative and disturbing films of the
pre-New Wave decade.
© James Travers 2011
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Next Jean-Pierre Melville film:
Quand tu liras cette lettre (1953)
Film Synopsis
Paul and Elisabeth are a teenage brother and sister who live with
their dying mother in a cramped apartment. When Paul is injured
in a snowball fight, the overly protective Elisabeth takes care of him,
although she also taunts him. The two siblings are inseparable.
They share the same bedroom, have the same interests and play strange
games together. They live in a world of their own. But then
their mother dies and Elisabeth decides to marry a wealthy business
man. The siblings' former habits are resumed when
Elisabeth's husband is killed in a car accident. Together, they
create a new world for themselves, with their friends Gérard and
Agathe, living in the grand mansion that Elisabeth has inherited.
Then, one day, Elisabeth discovers that Agathe and Paul are in
love. Jealousy can be a very powerful emotion...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.