Le Combat dans L'ile

If the French New Wave was about upending genre conventions, it’s subsequent iteration – New French Cinema – was more likely to incorporate those same conventions into something more polished but equally anti-establishment.  Alain Cavalier’s 1962 film, Le Combat dans L’ile, takes elements from film noir, romantic melodrama and political critique to craft a complex debut that’s cinematic grandstanding in the best possible way. 

Clément (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Romy Schneider) are a married couple at odds over their lifestyle.  A former actress, Anne longs for excitement and romance, but, unbeknownst to her, Clément is living a double life as a political extremist.  When an assassination attempt goes wrong, the couple escape to the country home of an old friend, Paul (Henri Serre), who agrees to hide Anne while her husband goes on the run.  Romance blossoms unexpectedly and just as Paul and Anne are beginning to start a new life, Clément returns to claim what’s rightfully his.

 

Cavalier’s film is curiously unpredictable, refusing to settle down with any one character too long.  There’s an obvious anti right-wing agenda that comments on the ongoing Algerian occupation at the time, but politics are – for the most part – cleverly disguised in a complicated love triangle.  Romy Schneider, whose beautifully expressive face is even more rapturous in black-and-white, winds up being the closest we get to a protagonist…but even her romantic decisions are maddeningly questionable.

 

Le Combat dans L’ile, despite its kitchen sink approach, remains engaging right up to the final showdown of the title, with Clément and Paul facing off in an old-fashioned duel.  Already an established star, Trintignant seems to relish playing a hypocritical cad obsessed with proving his manhood.  In fact, Cavalier seems so impressed with his actors he’s not sure which one to follow.  This creative back-and-forth means a few missed narrative opportunities (and lots of emotional handwringing) but still makes for a shockingly confident first feature.

 

The Radiance limited-edition Blu-ray (only 3000 copies) is simply staggering to look at with a 2K restoration from the original negative.  Extras include interviews with Cavalier and Trintignant, an analysis from French critic Philippe Roger, Cavalier’s first short film, Un américan, behind the scenes stills and a booklet with new writing on the film.  And don’t sleep on Radiance’s other Cavalier title, Fill ‘er up with Super, which is very much worth your time.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tormented

Image
The west coast always struggled to create a creepy atmosphere on screen.  All that southern California sunshine just doesn’t lend itself to ghostly apparitions or gothic castles.  But  Tormented  (1960) gives it a good try, staging its opening scene in an abandoned lighthouse where blackmail turns into murder - and one cover up leads to another.  Director Bert I. Gordon, better known for his giant-sized - but low-budget - monster movies, works well at this level, turning in a film that delivers small scares but perhaps his most  professional finished product. Tom Stewart (played by genre regular Richard Carlson) is a fairly successful jazz pianist whose impending marriage to Meg Hubbard (Susan Gordon) will put him in an entirely new tax bracket.  Trouble is his old flame, Vi (Juli Reding), isn’t taking this lying down.  After  allowing  her to fall to her death in the opening scene, Tom is haunted by disembodied visions of his ex-lover who refuses to go quietly into the afterlife.  And
Read more

The Cat and the Canary

Image
My favorite directors have always been showoffs:  Hitchcock, DePalma, Spielberg (when he’s feeling frisky) and gonzo auteurs like Sam Raimi.  There’s just something about their cinematic ambition, constantly reminding the audience that, yes, there actually  is  someone behind the camera calling the shots.  And that directorial discontent shines through even in the early days of the medium, such as Paul Leni’s 1927 adaptation of  The Cat and the Canary .  While the rest of the industry was still learning the basics of visual language, Leni fills his frame with tracking shots, POVs and dramatic lighting that set the standard for every spook show to come!  Gathered for the reading of the last will and testament of eccentric recluse Cyrus West,  the potential heirs meet up in his decrepit mansion to discover who will inherit the estate and family jewels.  Predictably there is some petty jealousy when young Annabelle West is named the sole beneficiary…that is, if she can be proved sane afte
Read more

Impulse

Image
William Shatner, for all his ego and arrogance, always seemed comfortable being the butt of a joke.  His career outside of the  Star Trek  franchise was a bumpy road of corny TV shows and enjoyable B-movie dreck.  But he never delivered anything less than 100% “Shatner!”  Like 1974’s  Impulse , a regional drive-in quickie directed by William Grefé ( Stanley, Mako: Jaws of Death ) that casts the once and future Captain Kirk as a psychologically troubled con man whose childhood trauma leads to a string of murdered women.  After dumping the body of his last victim in a Florida canal, Matt Stone (Shatner) is on the prowl for another financial windfall, this time using a phony investment scam to entice Ann (Jennifer Bishop) into a romantic relationship.  But when Ann’s daughter, Tina, is witness to the murder of his business associate (Harold “Chop Top” Sakata), Matt has to clean up his tracks and speed up his escape plan.  That includes silencing Tina…and whoever else gets in his way.   Ta
Read more