Film Review
Les Mariés de l'an II
typifies the kind of exuberant swashbuckler that was once highly
popular in France and which still makes great entertainment
today. With its lavish production values, energetic pace and
extravagant action sequences, it compares favourably with other, better
known, offerings in the genre - such as Christian-Jaque's
Fanfan
la Tulipe (1952) and André Hunebelle's
Le
Bossu (1960) - although it does fall down somewhat in the
script department. Jean-Paul Belmondo, renowned for performing
his own stunts, throws his all into yet another action hero portrayal
par excellence, proving that he is a worthy successor to Gérard
Philipe and Jean Marais in this field.
The film is directed with flair and a smattering of unmistakable Gallic
humour by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, his second feature after the quirky
wartime comedy
La Vie de château
(1966). Although more prolific as a screenwriter than a director,
Rappeneau has earned more acclaim for his directing, particularly for
his subsequent historical epics,
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) and
Le Hussard sur le toit
(1995).
Les
Mariés de l'an II matches both of these films in its
scale, lush cinematography and meticulous attention to detail (even if
it does offer a somewhat sanitised version of the French Revolution)
but lacks their narrative coherence and intelligent dialogue. It
feels like a family comedy that is trying a little too hard to be
something more substantial - not that this prevented it from being an
enormous success when it was first released in France (it attracted an
audience of almost three million).
An exceptional cast adds to the appeal of the film enormously. The
aforementioned Belmondo is partnered with the lovely Marlène
Jobert, arguably cinema's most attractive redhead, who makes a suitably
feisty companion to the habitually hyperactive Bébel. Much
of the fun to be found in this film is down to Jobert, whose scenes
with Belmondo are easily the most entertaining in the entire
film. Sami Frey and Italian beauty Laura Antonelli bring a touch
of class to the proceedings, playing a brother and sister whose overtly
incestuous relationship is flaunted for all it is worth (odd that,
given this is supposed to be a family-friendly feature). The
quick-sighted will spot a young Patrick Dewaere, a few years before he
became a major star of French cinema, whilst the film buffs will be
rewarded with the spectacle of a doddery old Pierre Brasseur working
hard to steal the show in one of his last, and most enjoyable, film
appearances.
Les
Mariés de l'an II probably doesn't quite merit the
epithet of classic, but it is still an amiable historical romp,
guaranteed to brighten any dull evening.
© James Travers 2001
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jean-Paul Rappeneau film:
Le Sauvage (1975)
Film Synopsis
After killing an aristocrat, commoner Nicolas Philibert bids a hasty
farewell to his native France and arrives in the United States, where
he soon makes his fortune as a crop merchant. His marriage to the
daughter of a wealthy man is frustrated when it is revealed that he is
already married, to a woman still living in France. The only
solution is for Nicolas to return to France to divorce his wife.
He lands in his country of birth shortly after the French Revolution,
to find that his wife Charlotte has allied herself with a party of
loyalists who intend to dispose of the newly formed republic...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.