Film Review
Adapted from the play
Le Gars du milieu by Henri Hubert and Paul Chartrettes,
Une nuit de folies is one of Fernandel's early comedies, one that
is often overlooked owing to the fact that the comic actor plays a comparatively
minor role in the proceedings (despite receiving top billing). The
film was directed by Maurice Cammage, who had already worked with Fernandel
on the humorous short
Ordonnance
malgré lui (1932) and would subsequently direct him in several
other feature-length comedies, most notably
Les Bleus de la marine
(1934),
Les Cinq Sous
de Lavarède (1939),
Monsieur Hector (1940) and
Un chapeau de paille
d'Italie (1941).
As in virtually all of his early comedies, Fernandel breaks into song at
one point in the narrative (
Un verre de fine is not one of his more
memorable numbers), and there are two other musical breaks, all provided
by the prolific composer and songwriter of the period, Vincent Scotto.
The film's real showstopper is an astonishing ninety second sequence in which
a naked woman performs an erotic dance (with a giant ball) for the amusement
of Fernandel and the goggle-eyed habitués of what looks like Paris's
most lubricious nightspot. The censor was obviously taking a day off
when this film turned up in his office.
Very different in character to the wacky farces to which Fernandel customarily
lent his talents early in his career,
Une nuit de folies is more a
slice-of-life that takes us on an excursion into the sordid underbelly of
Parisian life in the 1930s - a place where wealthy tourists bent on earthier
pleasures find themselves unwittingly (or knowingly) in the company of the
city's syphilis-ridden, drug-addicted lowlife. The dearth of plot is
made up for by the cast of colourful characters who, despite being obvious
archetypes, are convincingly brought to life by some very capable actors.
Jacques Varennes makes the biggest impression as a pithy George Raft-style
hoodlum. Naturally suited for villainous roles with his deep voice,
stony features and stiff frame, Varennes played the bad guy in many a Fernandel
comedy - he is at his best in
Jim
la Houlette (1935) and
Ne le criez pas sur
les toits (1942) - before he gained recognition as a serious character
actor, in part through his association with Sacha Guitry late in his career.
Lacking the banal humour and forced silliness of Fernandel's early films,
Une nuit de folies feels more like a social critique than a comedy,
one that offers a weird insight into the morals and tastes of 1930s Parisian
society.
© James Travers 2016
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Bored with her stuffy bourgeois married life, Jacqueline d'Ermont decides
to enjoy a night of revelry in Paris with Anatole, a man who is besotted
with her. The town's theatres and restaurants have lost their appeal
to the young socialite, who thirsts for new experiences in less salubrious
surroundings. This is how she and Anatole come to end up in a seedy
bar frequented by pimps, prostitutes, drugs pushers, crooks and tourists.
Little does Jacqueline know that her husband Paul is watching her every move
and is surprised to find her in such a sordid place. As Paul considers
what he should do next, drugs pusher Julot lures an innocent barman Fernand
into his nefarious schemes. There will be trouble before the night
is out, and if he is to rescue his marriage and win back Jacqueline Paul
will have to prove that he is a real man - not so easy a task when there
are gun-toting hoodlums like Le Frisé fighting to defend their territory...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.