Film Review
Si tous les gars du monde /
Devenaient de bons copains / Et marchaient la main dans la main / Le
bonheur serait pour demain... Paul Fort's celebrated poem is
powerfully expressed in this cinematic hymn to fraternity, a
heart-warming depiction of what might be achieved if mankind could set
aside its differences and work for the common good of humanity.
Whilst not immune from schmaltz and fanciful naivety, the film delivers
its message with considerable charm and vigour. Absurd as its plot
contrivances are (the episode in which American and Soviet officers
temporarily suspend the Cold War and arrive at an improbable
entente cordiale is hard to take
seriously), it manages to work both as a gripping suspense drama and as an effective
morality tale. The film's obvious shortcomings (a tendency to
stretch credulity to breaking
point and a somewhat superficial treatment of racism)
are easily forgiven, such is the warmth and sincerity with which the film is
crafted.
The striking naturalism of the exterior location sequences and the
total lack of big name actors give the film a touch of New Wave
authenticity - which is odd given that it was directed by
Christian-Jaque, one of the great standard-bearers of the quality
tradition which the directors of the Nouvelle Vague were so keen to distance
themselves from. Christian-Jaque is more closely associated
with lavish period dramas such as
Fanfan
la Tulipe (1952) and
Lucrèce Borgia (1953)
than contemporary dramas such as this. Equally surprising is the
fact that the screenplay was written by Henri-Georges Clouzot,
whose own films show a far less rosy assessment of human nature.
Prior to this, Clouzot had just made
Les
Diaboliques (1955), his most viciously cynical portrait of
human frailty. Unlikely as it may seem, Clouzot shared something
of Christian-Jaque's unshakeable belief in the inherent goodness of
mankind and initially wanted to direct the film himself.
One of the most striking things about
Si
tous les gars du monde, for a major French film of this time, is
the absence of a star actor. This was a conscious decision on the
part of the production team - a celebrity actor would have stolen the
focus and undermined what the film is meant to be about, which is to
celebrate the resourcefulness and compassion of the anonymous
individual. The cast does include a few recognisable faces -
Andrex, a once popular comedic actor reduced to minor supporting roles
by the 1950s, Jean-Louis Trintignant, very early in his career, and
Georges Poujouly, the child star of René Clément's
Jeux
interdits (1952) - but, as in a good war film, it is the
ensemble that matters, not individual contributions. Just as we
are anxious over the desperate plight of the Breton fishermen
(convincingly played by André Valmy and Jean Gaven), we are also
moved by the dedication of those who seek to help them, moved and
easily inspired to follow their example.
The film's woolly idealism and lack of a star attraction did not
prevent it from being a box office smash. In France, it attracted an
audience of almost four million, in a year that saw the release of
several mainstream hits. No doubt owing to its lionisation of
amateur radio enthusiasts and its simple humanist theme,
Si tous les gars du monde became an
overnight cult classic, a status it retains to this day. Whilst
so many films are happy merely to show us the worst side of humanity,
it is indeed refreshing to see one that presents the more wholesome
flipside, a vision of Utopia in which solidarity and selfless
compassion prevail over indifference, petty-minded prejudice and
pointless bureaucracy. What is particularly great about this film
is that leaves the spectator with the impression that he or she too can
make a difference. You don't have to be a great political leader
or pop star to change the world for the better. If an army of
ants can shift a rock that is many times their size, just think what
the collective efforts of millions of right-minded human beings might
achieve if motivated by good will and the desire to make a better
world. Ah,
si tous les
gars du monde devenaient de bons copains...
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Christian-Jaque film:
La Loi c'est la loi (1958)
Film Synopsis
When the crew of a Breton fishing boat in the North Sea begin to fall
mysteriously ill, the captain, La Guellec, tries to summon help via
radio. His efforts are frustrated when the radio breaks down and
he has no other option but to send out a distress call via short wave
radio. His message is received by an amateur radio enthusiast,
hundreds of miles away in Togo. The latter finds a doctor who
diagnoses that the crew have gone down with food poisoning after eating
cured ham. Unless the crew receive an anti-botulism serum within
the next twelve hours they will all die. Without a second to
lose, the radio enthusiast sends out a call to Paris, which is received
by college boy Jean-Louis. The latter tries to relay a message to
another doctor, only to find he has recently died. Infected with
Jean-Louis's enthusiasm, the doctor's grieving widow shares the cost of
purchasing the vital medicine and races to the airport, hoping to
persuade someone to take it to Munich, where it will be collected by
another radio enthusiast. After numerous mishaps, the parcel is
soon on its way to Oslo. But will it arrive in time to save the
twelve men aboard the stricken trawler...?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.