Film Review
Un carnet de bal is a good example of French cinema of the late1930s, and one of
the earliest successful attempts at the episodic film which became so popular in subsequent
decades.
The multi-part structure of the film (effectively a series of loosely connected vignettes)
is a little unsatisfying, but the individual stories are themselves almost perfectly formed.
It is worth seeing if only for the remarkable performances of the legendary actors that
make up the cast list: Jouvet, Fernandel, Raimu, Baur...
The director, Julien Duvivier, was so pleased with this film that he remade it during
his time in Hollywood, in 1941, as
Lydia.
© James Travers 2001
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Julien Duvivier film:
The Great Waltz (1938)
Film Synopsis
To take her mind off the recent death of her husband, Christine de Guérande
begins sorting through her old possessions and is surprised to find her dance
card for her coming out ball many years ago. She was sixteen at the
time and can't help wondering what became of the eight handsome young men
she danced with on that memorable evening. Her curiosity leads her
to undertake a special kind of pilgrimage - to look up each of the men listed
on her dance card and renew their acquaintance.
The expedition does not get off to the best of starts, as the first man on
the list committed suicide after learning that Christine intended marrying
another man. Pierre, his successor, did not fair much better.
At first a promising lawyer with a glittering career ahead of him, he managed
to get himself disbarred and is now mixed up with a gang of crooks.
Alain and Éric likewise had their share of misfortunes, but both overcame
their disappointments in love, the first by taking holy orders, the second
by becoming a mountain guide.
François, suitor number five, ended up getting himself elected mayor
of a small village and is now about to get married - to his lowly housemaid.
Then there is Thierry, a man so plagued with misfortune that he now earns
his crust by performing illegal abortions. With Fabien, a modest hairdresser,
Christine returns to the ballroom where she first danced and reflects on
how the dreams of youth have perished before her eyes in recent days.
After learning that the last of her suitors died not long after being ruined,
the widow feels duty-bound to adopt his son Jacques.
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.