Film Review
After the phenomenal success of
Si Versailles m'était conté
(1954), director Sacha Guitry was encouraged to repeat the same
formula, but on a far, far larger canvas. Instead of telling the
story of one building, the Château of Versailles, Guitry's next
sprawling magnum opus would tell the story of Paris, using a similar
style and narrative technique.
Si
Paris nous était conté is easily one of Guitry's
most ambitious film, and some (poor misguided souls) consider it one of
his best, although the film's shortcomings are hard to overlook.
Despite the brilliance of Guitry's direction and the quality of the
writing and performances, the film is distinctly lacking in coherence
and, towards the end, it just seems to collapse into a mass of
self-indulgent whimsy. But how can
anyone tell the story of Paris in
less than two and half hours? To his credit, Guitry does
not attempt an exhaustive trawl through the history books but instead
presents only the edited highlights, as an affectionate tribute to the
City of Lights.
Given the severe constraints he is up against, some of Guitry's choices
for inclusion in the film are somewhat baffling, as indeed are some of
his omissions. The cabaret singer Aristide Bruant gets almost as
much screen time as Louis XVI, whilst Louis XIV and Napoleon hardly get
a look in at all (presumably because Guitry had already dealt with them
sufficiently in his previous two films). Another telling lacuna
is any reference to the Nazi Occupation, understandable given that this
period of history was still being re-written by General de
Gaulle. Whilst it is certainly a lavish production, authentic in
its period detail and featuring an absolutely stellar cast,
Si Paris nous était conté
cannot be judged in the same positive light as Guitry's other
historical dramas, which are generally far better structured and have
much more substance to them. This is really just a shamelessly
patriotic divertissement, a selective and clearly biased take on French
history, in a similar vein to Guitry's previous
Napoléon
(1955). The main appeal of
Si
Paris nous était conté is that it doesn't take its
subject too seriously and shows that history can be both fun and
interesting (although some of the gags, particularly the one involving
Charlotte Corday, are truly cringe-worthy). Just don't expect it
to get you through a history exam though. It has only slightly
more intellectual rigour than
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head
(1966).
© James Travers 2011
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Next Sacha Guitry film:
Assassins et voleurs (1957)
Film Synopsis
A learned professor of history relates the story of Paris to a group
of enthusiastic students, not as a string of dry facts, but as a
declaration of love through which various historical characters
connected with the city speak for themselves. Through a series of
anecdotes we meet the colourful figures from France's past - Charles
VII, Louix XI, François I, Cardinal Richelieu, Henry IV, and
many others - and relive the turbulent times of the Wars of Religion,
the French Revolution and the Prussian occupation. France's great
literary personae are not overlooked. Voltaire, Flaubert and
Victor Hugo all have their tales to tell...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.