Rocambole (1948)
Directed by Jacques de Baroncelli

Film Review

In a similar vein to his Les Mystères de Paris (1943), Jacques de Baroncelli's adaptation of the exploits of Rocambole, one of the most famous characters in French literature, is a characteristically lively affair, one that clearly owes something to Louis Feuillade's serials of the silent era.  Like Feuillade, Baroncelli has little interest in character development and is far more preoccupied with plot, and there is certainly no shortage of plot in this cinematic equivalent of a populist page-turner.   It was, after all, the character Rocambole who gave rise to the French word rocambolesque, meaning a fantastic turn of events.  Pierre Brasseur is a perfect choice for the likeable rogue Rocambole, neither a hero nor a villain, but a character who never ceases to fascinate on account of his strange moral ambivalence.  Had a little more care gone into the script, excising just a fraction of the plot to make way for some more character depth, this could only have enhanced the film's appeal.  As it is, a meandering, fast-paced but ultimately shallow adventure story, it still has considerable entertainment value, and more than does justice to Pierre Alexis de Ponson du Terrail's celebrated novels.  Immediately after this, Baroncelli directed a sequel with the same cast: La Revanche de Baccarat (1948).

Film Synopsis

The likeable rogue Joseph Fippart, nicknamed Rocambole, is hired by Andréa, the head of a gang called the Jack of Hearts, to impersonate Arnaud, the young Count de Chamery.  The latter's father has recently been poisoned by Andréa's henchman Venture and Andréa plans to steal the vast inheritance that he has bequeathed to his son.  The whereabouts of the young count is unknown, although he can be identified by a medal he wears around his neck.  Jealous of the influence that Rocambole has on Andréa, Venture relates the whole story to Countess Artoff, an adventuress who has known Rocambole since childhood.   Having found Arnaud, the Countess intends to unmask Rocambole so that she can pocket a share of the inheritance.  Blissfully unaware of these developments, Arnaud is employed as the music teacher of Carmen, the daughter of the Marquis de Monteveccio.  What neither Rocambole nor the Countess Artoff know is that, many years ago, the former Count de Chamery and the Marquis had agreed that their children should marry one another...