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Movies Forum Index » Silent Movies Forum » "Poil De Carotte" (1925) By Julien Duvivier...
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| Ferdinand Von Galitzien... |
 Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:57 pm |
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Guest
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Herr Julien Duvivier was a great French film director well known for
his talkie career, specially during the 30's of the last century, a
time when his films were very appreciated for their "poetic realism".
However, it is unfair to neglect his remarkable silent career, a very
interesting time during which Herr Julien established his style
working
as an assistant director to great French silent film directors like
Herr André Antoine, Marcel L'Herbier and Herr Feuillade.
"Poil de Carotte" is a great film and a good example of Herr
Duvivier's
stylistic virtues. It is a beautiful and classical oeuvre that tells
the story of the complicated relationships within a French family in
a
provincial town. It is a film adaptation of the French author Herr
Jules Renard's eponymous oeuvre, which Herr Duvivier would later
remake
as a talkie in 1932.
Many longhaired youngsters might think that with such a plot, this
German aristocrat couldn't appreciate or understand those peasant
family French conflicts depicted in the film, but it isn't so because
family conflicts is also a customary habit in the aristocracy and
certain particular attitudes of the local inhabitants of that
provincial French town ( gossip, politics… ) are very usual too in
aristocrat circles.
Everything is brilliant in "Poil de Carotte", from technical and
special effects that enrich superbly the film narrative of the oeuvre
(
imaginative and varied camera tricks ) to splendid cinematography by
Herr Ganzli Walter und André Dantan, that emphasizes masterfully the
different surroundings of the film. There are moody shots that give a
particular atmosphere to indoor scenes ( beautiful and dark and
complicated to be filmed ) or outdoor scenes that are bright and
reminiscent of Herr Renoir or Herr Van Gogh paintings.
The acting is perfect and the actors are inspired in their
interpretations; Francois Lepic ( nicknamed by his family as "poil de
carotte" - red-head ) is performed convincingly by André Heuzé, a
child
who is continuously maltreated by his own family, especially his
wicked
mother, Madame Lepic ( Charlotte Barbier-Krauss ) a "dominatrice"
woman
with a splendid moustache (not unlike the one sported by this German
count ) and his brother and sister, Félix and Annette ( Fabien Haziza
und Lydia Zorena, respectively ); his father-patient but distant- is
Monsieur Lepic ( Henry Krauss ) who doesn't know how to deal with
such
complex family relationships and conflicts. The supporting cast is
also
excellent, particularly a local singer who's also the provincial
French
vamp, Ernestine ( Renée Jean ) who this German count likes specially.
"Poil de Carotte" is a film with a strong regional French flavour but
also with Dickensian overtones, a wonderful oeuvre of a director who
has a splendid but unfortunately not well-known silent period that
deserves rediscovery.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because
this German Count has an appointment with a Teutonic redhead heiress
with a big moustache.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien
http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/ |
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