French Revelations: Très Bien!

Rarely has a Blu-ray set been more aptly named than French Revelations, a recent Flicker Alley release featuring two French-language films: Fanfare D’Amour (Fanfare of Love) and Mauvaise Graine (Bad Seed). I’m always up for a foreign film, but I was especially looking forward to checking out these two: Fanfare D’Amour (1935) was the inspiration for the hit 1958 comedy Some Like It Hot, and Mauvaise Graine (1934) marked the directorial debut of Billy Wilder. And this duo did not disappoint.

Fanfare D’Amour

— Jeannette and Pierrette. Cheers!

This comedy focuses on two out-of-work musicians, Jean (Fernand Gravey) and Pierre (Julien Carette), who will do just about anything to land a job. They try playing with a gypsy band, a Latin band, and a Black jazz band, doing their best to fit in with each (including donning Blackface to play with the latter group). They finally try out for a touring all-girl band, The Dutch Tulips, which is missing “two flowers in the vase” – a bass player and a piano player – the very instruments played by our heroes. They are hired for the group as Jeannette and Pierrette.

Jean and Pierre join the Dutch Tulips aboard a train, and the hilarity ensues – both men are attracted to one of the band members, Gaby (Betty Stockfeld, with Jean donning his own clothes to act as a composer and Pierre dressing as a man and pretending to be Pierrette’s brother; the band’s director (Jacques Louvigny) has eyes for Jeannette; and while acting as Pierrette’s “brother,” Pierre draws the attention of Poupette (Gaby Basett). The laughs are amplified as Jean and Pierre try to outdo each other for Gaby’s affections, and Jeannette gains a reputation as a loose woman when Jean is spotted entering her room.

—The Dutch Tulips perform.

This film was a delight on its own, with its skillful way of tossing off one farcical situation after another, and Gravey and Carette both turning in first-rate comedic performances. But if you’re a fan of Some Like It Hot, I think it’s even more fun, as you’ll be unable to stop identifying the similarities and differences between the two movies. (Also, there’s a song in the film with the melody composed by Jean and the lyrics written by Jeannette – don’t be surprised if you’re not humming it by the picture’s end.)

Mauvaise Graine

— Henri and Jeannette.

This fascinating feature is part crime drama, part comedy, part love story – and all good. The central character is Henri Pasquier (Pierre Mingand), a wealthy ne’er-do-well whose life takes a turn when his father – fed up with his spendthrift ways – sells Henri’s beloved car. Spotting his (former) car on the street, Henri steals it, but is chased down by a gang of thieves who’d been eyeing the same vehicle for their car theft ring. When Henri is taken to the warehouse where the stolen cars are repainted and fitted with new license plates, he declines the hush money offer from the gang’s chief (Michel Duran) and, instead, throws his lot in with the thieves.

The members of the gang include the baby-faced Jean (Raymond Galle), who has an obsession for stealing ties (he has a collection numbering more than 300) and with whom Henri becomes fast friends. Jean’s sister, Jeannette (Danielle Darrieux) works with the gang as a decoy – she attracts men driving coveted cars, and while they are having a cocktail or attending a moving picture, the thieves steal the cars. When Henri proves to be a leader among the thieves, insisting on a higher cut of pay for the men who do the actual work, the gang chief decides that Henri is a liability. (“He wickedly defends their interests,” the chief’s right-hand man tells him. “I can’t stand him.”)

— Henri rallies the gang against the chief.

The film’s comedy relief is provided by one of the car thieves, known as the Zebra because of his outlandish striped suits, who constantly swipes such unusual vehicles as a passenger bus, and by Jean’s tie obsession, which includes stealing the ties of beachgoers – and his fellow gang members – enjoying a day at the shore. As for the film’s love aspect, Henri and Jeannette fall for each other, but the gang chief’s vendetta against Henri puts both of their lives in danger.

Both Fanfare D’Amour and Mauvaise Graine are accompanied by a commentary feature; by author and filmmaker August Ventura, and by historian, scholar and UCLA professor Jan-Christopher Horak, respectively. Both commentary tracks add to the enjoyment and appreciation of the films.

— Sixteen-year-old Danielle Darrieux

In addition to an examination of the film’s plot, Ventura’s commentary includes a variety of information, including the history of “all-girl” orchestras, and trivia tidbits including that actress Gaby Basett performed in cabarets and operettas, and was married for six years to popular French actor Jean Gabin (who you may have seen in such films as Pepe Le Moko, Moontide, or Martin Roumagnac). Horak’s commendation provides a mix of film analysis, information about the French film industry at the time, specifics about the on-location shooting, and details about the careers of Billy Wilder and the film’s stars. We learn, for instance, that Billy Wilder did not direct another film for close to 10 years, and he only did so then because he didn’t like what Hollywood directors were doing to his scripts. And we’re also told that star Danielle Darrieux was only 16 years old when she appeared in the film! Additional analysis and information are provided in an eight-panel insert containing an essay on both films by film historian Richard Neupert of the University of Georgia.

If you’re a fan of foreign films, pre-Code, crime dramas or, heck, classic movies in general, you’re going to enjoy the two rare films provided in this set. They are a sheer delight – and a revelation.

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My thanks to Flicker Alley for providing me with a review copy of this film. The Blu-ray can be purchased from Flicker Alley, or rented or purchased from Amazon and other online retailers.

~ by shadowsandsatin on February 3, 2024.