Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier
RANKED:
5. Poil de Carotte (1932)
Julien Duvivier's adapted not only the 1894 short story "Poil de Carotte," but also HIS adaption in the 1925 silent version of the novel. This 1932 version, however, was made with the new sound technologies of the 1930s. France was experiencing an explosion of artistry in the film medium at the time and Julien Duvivier was certainly a member of that venture. "Poil de Carotte" was a modest, but engaging feature that tells the story of a young boy physically and psychologically abused by his mother. Because of the depressing nature of the film, you aren't sure in its climax whether this small boy will succeed in committing suicide. Just goes to show how painful of an experience such a film can be.
4. La Tete d'un Homme (1933)
Although Julien Duvivier's 1933 film "La Tete d'un Homme" seems like a standard Sherlock Holmes-esque detective story, there is a lot more than meets the eyes. When an embittered, dying foreign medical student blackmails a wealthy elite, a wily detective must bring him to justice. However, with the Great Depression still a global event, it becomes much more of a story about the hostile bitterness of the lower classes. Although everyone but the detectives in the story are painted as 'bad' characters, their actions seem to be motivated more by economic circumstance than anything else. In the hands of another director, this could have been a by-the-books detective thriller. In the hands of Duvivier, it was a little something more.
3. Panique (1946)
Taking elements from Fritz Lang, Julien Duviver attempted to make a post-war indictment of the societal fever that was taking hold of the French population. With his 1946 film "Panique," Duviver seems to mash "M," "Fury," and "Scarlet Street" into the bleakest picture of his career. Centering on a couple of frame an innocent man for murder, the film follows the complete frenzy the community is overcome by. Duvivier paints this post-war society as full of anger, paranoia, and vehemently ready and willing to turn on each other. As Duvivier in respect to his film: "we are far from a people who love each other." This was ever-apparent in "Panique," as a society is ready to execute an innocent man and gets caught in an utter frenzy.
2. Un Carnet de Bal (1937)
In 1937, Julien Duvivier came out with two major works, the first being the iconic "Pepe le Moko." The second was "Un Carnet de Bal," a film featuring an array of iconic French actors. In the film, a newly widowed woman visits the men who signed her dance card 18 years ago at ball. Through her various visits with these men, she witnesses how time has changed and molded them. The nostalgia she feels for her younger days are played out through the various 'what-if' scenarios of potential suitors. Along the way, we view how a human life can grow and change and the various ways in which we deal with its hardships.
1. Pepe le Moko (1937)
Julien Duvivier's landmark 1937 film "Pepe le Moko" is a film with an enormous influential reach, from the films of Martin Scorsese, to the American classic "Casablanca," to even the cartoon character of Pepe le Pew. Beyond what it has influenced, "Pepe le Moko" is a dynamic work in the French poetic realism movement. Taking place in the labyrinthian Casbah, Jean Gabin's gangster-in-hiding Pepe tries to navigate the intricate streets, connections, and web of lies that surround him. All the while, he is unable to escape his circumstances and unable to escape his own downfall. The film breathed a sense of hopelessness through the film screen, which is a palpable sentiment happening in the lives of the French, who were on the precipice of all-out-war. The French authorities even prevented screenings due to the film's 'demoralizing influence.' Beyond this, it is a product of its time, representing both the filmmaking achievement of the French poetic realists as well as the hopeless sentiments of the French people.
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