Film Review
Many years before the ruthless back-biting antics of the Ewings of Dallas shook the western
world, there was a popular French film which tackled similar territory, with almost equal
success. That film was
Les Grandes familles, a pretty run-of the-mill drama
concerned with a deadly feud between two cousins of a notoriously successful family dynasty.
Although the plot is a little flat by today's standards, the film remains an impressive
example of late 1950s cinema, almost entirely because of the quality of acting performances.
The film also benefits from a good script from Michel Audiard, probably the most esteemed
script writer in France at the time.
The most striking
thing about this film is the quality of the acting. Pierre Brasseur, although too
often cast as the mad bad villain, is perfectly cast here. His character is deliciously
bad, blessed with a disarming charm that conceals a thoroughly warped view of the world.
Opposite him is Jean Gabin in the role of the obsessive Noël Schoudler, a surprisingly
tough role for an actor better known for his flamboyant charm and comic side. The
part places great demands on the actor which Gabin more than fulfils. Here we see
Gabin the tyrant, with no place for sentiment, a hard-hearted self-obsessed capitalist.
Of course, all is not what it first seems and, through a series of circumstances, the
true colours of Schoudler are finally revealed and Gabin immediately wins back our sympathy.
Two other well-known faces are caught up in the Gabin-Brasseur feud, namely Jean Desailly
and Bernard Blier, who again appear to be perfectly cast and give some moving performances.
As the final dual
is played out on the French stock exchange (well filmed with stock footage of the real
exchange), the film makes an uncompromisingly damning statement on the power of money
to corrupt and destroy. This is the film's climax, a gripping indictment of
the sick capitalist society which nurtures and then wrecks les grandes familles.
© James Travers 2000
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Denys de La Patellière film:
Les Yeux de l'amour (1959)
Film Synopsis
With interests ranging from banking to commodities and publishing, the Schoudlers
are one of France's wealthiest and most powerful business families.
The present head of this formidable dynasty is Noël Schoudler, a driven,
plain-speaking magnate who runs his affairs with an unwavering ruthlessness,
and this applies as much to his private life as it does to matters of business.
Short of breaking the law, Schoudler is ready to resort to any means to protect
his family's wealth and good name, and anyone who dares to oppose him can
expect nothing but the roughest of treatment. Noël Schoudler is
a patriarch and a tyrant, a capitalist in every atom of his being. and he
seems not to have an ounce of compassion in his soul. The pursuit of
wealth and power is all that matters to him.
At the present time, Schoudler has two overriding preoccupations. The
first is to give his son François the opportunity to prove himself;
the second is to bring about the complete ruin of his cousin Lucien Maublanc,
a lazy good-for-nothing whom Schoudler considers a disgrace to the family.
François proves to be an enthusiastic man of commerce, but his methods
soon bring him into conflict with his father, who is quick to detect signs
of weakness. To teach his son a valuable lesson, Schoudler refuses
to bail him out when he gets into difficulty. In desperation, François
turns to Maublanc, but the family rivalry has made the latter reluctant to
help him. In the end, François's situation becomes so desperate
that he is driven to suicide. The shock of his son's death goads Schoudler
into action. For the sake of François's three-year-old son he
embarks on a decisive course that will allow him to preserve his fortune
and his family's honour...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.