Film Review
The life and work of Jean-Henri Fabre, one of the most important
naturalists of the 19th century, are respectfully honoured in this
engaging biopic, one of the few films directed by Henri Diamant-Berger
that deserves preserving for posterity. As a young film director,
Diamant-Berger established himself with his energetic silent serial
Les Trois Mousquetaires (1921),
one of cinema's best adaptations of Alexandre Dumas' famous tome, but
he failed to live up to this early promise and spent most of his career
turning out routine and mostly forgettable comedies such as
Arsène Lupin détective
(1937) and
Mon curé chez les pauvres
(1956).
Monsieur Fabre
is the only one of Diamant-Berger's sound films where the director
appears genuinely inspired by the subject, evidenced by a
film that is not only a worthy tribute to Fabre but also a model in
the biopic genre. À propos, this is the film in which the actor Patrick Dewaere
made his screen debut at the
age of four; credited as Patrick Maurin, he appears as the youngest of Fabre's sons.
Pierre Fresnay was an obvious choice to play Jean-Henri Fabre, on
account of his striking physical resemblance to the great man and his
impressive track record of playing historical figures. Prior to
this, Fresnay had garnered international acclaim for his portrayal of
Vincent de Paul in Maurice Cloche's
Monsieur
Vincent (1947) and gave a plausible impression of Jacques
Offenbach in Marcel Achard's
La Valse de Paris (1949).
A character actor
par excellence,
Fresnay rarely failed to bring an immense depth and humanity to his
characterisations, and this is certainly true of his portrayal of
Fabre. Far from being a dry caricature of a dusty academic,
Fresnay's Fabre is an ordinary man equipped with an extraordinary
talent for observation, his love for his fellow man equalled, not
surpassed, by his
amour fou
for creepy crawlies.
Fabre's friendship with the English philosopher John Stuart Mill is
alluded to (thereby underlining the entomologist's interest in educational reform)
and there are frequent references to the books written by Fabre,
notably his series of
Souvenirs
entomologiques, a standard text on the subject of entomology and
also an important work of French literature. However, what makes
the film come to life, in a way that few biopics of this era seldom
did, is the way it draws us into Fabre's world via the inclusion of
numerous documentary-like inserts depicting some of the more
extraordinary and horrifying aspects of the insect world.
In one insert, a puny wasp manages to move a pebble fifteen times its
own weight; in another, we witness the macabre spectacle of a praying
mantis chewing its way through a living caterpillar. Fabre draws
attention to the unthinking heroism of black ants as they sacrifice
themselves to protect their nest from an invasion of red ants. A
spider and a centipede wage a war to the death before calling a
truce. Most grisly of all, two male scorpions fight a deadly duel
to decide who will get to mate with the female of the species - the
victor is rewarded by being stung to death and eaten by his bride
immediately after mating. At times, you can't help wondering how
the film ever managed to get past the censor...
Now that nature documentaries depicting the X-rated daily horrors being
played out in our back gardens have become two-a-penny,
Monsieur Fabre has lost some of the
shock and awe value it had when it was first seen, but it remains
one of French cinema's most cherished and authentic biographical
dramas. Just as Fabre was fascinated by the insects that became
his life's study, so we cannot help becoming fascinated by a man who
saw wonder in every aspect of insect life and was able to communicate
this sense of wonder to his fellow man. A forerunner of today's
science popularisers, Fabre is an impressive and inspiration figure,
and it is right that Diament-Berger's insightful film does justice to
his achievements, honouring not only his immense contribution to
science, but also his qualities as a teacher, writer and
humanitarian. The man who opened our eyes to the marvels of the
insect world and thereby extended our appreciation of the miracle of
creation deserves nothing less.
© James Travers 2015
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Henri Diamant-Berger film:
Mon curé chez les pauvres (1956)
Film Synopsis
Avignon, 1861. When he is not fulfilling his duties as a schoolmaster
and family man, Jean-Henri Fabre occupies himself in the study of
insects, his main passion in life. The most knowledgeable
entomologist of his day, he begins publishing articles and his fame
spreads far and wide. The emperor Napoléon III invites him
to the imperial court in Paris, where he is awarded the Legion of
Honour for his services to science. Fabre's radical views on
education bring him into conflict with his superiors at the college
where he works and in the end he is forced to resign his post.
Now a free man, he can devote himself entirely to studying the insect
world, just as a personal tragedy is about to strike...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.