Before the Winter Chill.

Writer Phillippe Claudel’s latest outing as a film director is an enjoyable well made French drama. Claudel was responsible for the BAFFTA winning I’ve Loved You So Much (2008), which featured the talents of actress Kristin Scott Thomas, as does Before the Winter Chill (2013).  But this newest outing is nowhere near as convincing a film, with its rather strange twist towards the end!

 

The minimalist existence of French middle class can be lonely for a brain surgeon's wife....

....occasionally spending time  with someone who does appreciate her....

The title of the movie refers to a man being on the threshold of old age and therefore easily up for a little flattery from a mysterious good looking young woman. The man in question is Paul (Daniel Auteuil) a brain surgeon, who leads a busy life married to Lucie (Scott Thomas), lives in a beautiful house where Lucie spends most of her day tending a very large and well laid out garden and looking after her grandchildren. Into Paul's middle class life comes a young waitress Lou (Leila Bekhti) and turns his routine existence upside down when the brain surgeon finds himself unable to resist her charms.

 

....while husband Paul's infatuation with a beautiful young women could lead to circumstances beyond his control?

Now separated from her French husband it has been alleged that Kristin Scott Thomas will no longer be making films in France. Although I would rate her acting skills very highly, the parts she has been offered lately do not extend her as an actress and Before the Winter Chill is a case in point. We all know what she is capable of. Sample such delights as her investigative journalist in Sarah’s Key (2011), the power hungry Christine in 2010’s Love Crime and how could anyone passably forget the sexy evil incestuous mother from hell in the very underrated Only God Forgives (2012). Lets hope if she moves back to the UK she is not relegated to dreadful boring films like Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011) and is offered parts that can extend her.

Lucie Aubrac.

Claude Berri was responsible for two of France's best-known movies, both of which he directed and wrote, Jean de Florette (1986) and Manon des Sourses (1986) he also produced Roman Polanski's period drama Tess (1979). A lesser-known film, in the UK at least, is the 1997 World War 2 French biopic about the French Resistance member Lucie Aubrac, which Berri directed and co wrote with Aubrac - whose autobiography the story is based. Set in Lyon in 1943 this politicised drama tell the story of Lucie and her Jewish husband Raymond Samuel who had to change their name because of the persecution of the Jews by the Nazi's and who both became members of the resistance, and fought behind the lines when the German army invaded France.

 

Lucie and Raymond in the French resistants. 

On 21 June 1943, the Gestapo captured Raymond alongside and other high-ranking Resistance members including General Charles de Gaulle top representative Jean Moulin (under the alias "Max"). They were all taken to Montluc prison, located near Lyon. Lucie was able to talk face to face with Klaus Barbie, Lyon's Gestapo chief known as the Butcher of Lyon. Her alias was "Ghislaine de Barbentane", a name of high-standing, noble origin. Because of her pregnancy and a specific provision of French law called "marriage in extremis," under which a person condemned to death can marry civilly, Lucie managed to convince Barbie that she was unmarried, and being pregnant could not be a mother without being married. Barbie eventually allowed Raymond to be released for the wedding, which gave Lucie and the Resistance a window of opportunity.

 

The loving couple in old age. 

The film stars Carole Bouquet (For Your Eyes Only 1981) as Lucie and Daniel Auteuil as Raymond but neither actor does real justice to these interesting characters, never really bringing them to life. The movie is rather understated with only a minimal amount of tension for what should have been an exciting cinematic outing. The whole movie, other than the scenes in the prison, seems to be a little too "clean and tidy" for a country that had been invaded. Obviously the occupational forces came in through the front door, and wiped their feet! 

La veuve de Saint Pierre (The Widow of Saint Pierre).

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is situated in the North Western Atlantic Ocean near Canada and is the only remnant of the former colonial empire of New France that remains under French control. At the time of the last census, January 2011, it had a population of 6080. The islands are situated at the entrance of Fortune Bay on the southern coast of Newfoundland.

 

The location of the Island.

Saint Pierre.

If you were to visit the museum on Saint-Pierre you would find that it contained a guillotine. The only time that this decapitation device has ever been used in North America was in the late 19th century when it was used to behead Joseph Neel who was convicted of killing a Mr Coupard on the 30th December 1888. The guillotine had to be shipped from Martinique and did not arrive in working order. It seemed almost impossible to get anyone on the Island to carry out this barbaric act until finally a recent immigrant was 'coaxed' into carrying out the task. Neel was subsequently executed on the 24th August 1889. 

 

The Slavic actor Emir Krusturica.

It was this event that was the inspiration for the French movie La veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000) or to give it it's English title The Widow of Saint-Pierre. Taken from the court records of the time the film tells how after stabbing their old sea captain to death two men were convicted of his murder and sentenced to death by guillotine. One of the men Louis Ollivier is killed in a freak accident whilst being taken to await his execution while the other Neel Auguste is placed under the supervision of an army Captain to await the arrival of the guillotine. While he is in his custody he is allowed a certain amount of freedom and the Captains beautiful wife Madame La takes an interest in his rehabilitation eventually giving him back his self-respect by allowing him to carry out various tasks for the local community, who in turn see a changed man. A year after he was sentenced the ship carrying the instrument of his death finally arrives in port but the Captain, his wife and the local inhabitants do not want to see Auguste executed.

 

The Captain and his wife Madame La.

Superbly directed and co-written by Patrice Leconte, who has been responsible for such films as The Hairdressers Husband (1990) The Girl on the Bridge (1999) and L’homme du train (2002). This is a story of the redemption of a brutal killer and how a woman can love two men at the same time, one physically and the other puritanically. This wonderfully paced and detailed period drama stars Juliette Binoche as the redeeming Madame La with the Serbian born actor Emir Kusturica as Neel Auguste, both of whom were deservedly nominated for acting awards. Although Daniel Auteuil, who plays the Captain, spends a lot of time prancing about on a horse he still plays his part in making this movie an exceptionally good watch. It was filmed on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia a rather splendid location emphasised by cinematographer Eduardo Serra. Highly recommended if you enjoy a good French period drama.

The Well Diggers Daughter (2011)

Do famous actors make good film directors? Well if the likes of Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, Sean Penn and our very own Peter Mullan are anything to go by then the answer must be yes. The latest to take the directorial reigns is one of France’s most prolific actors Daniel Auteuil. He has chosen for his debut to remake the 1940’s film of the same name The Well Diggers Daughter (2011) the original was written and directed by the novelist, playwright and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol. If that name rings a bell than its because he was responsible for writing the novels that two of France’s most influential and successful films were adapted from; Jean de Florrete (1986) and its sequel of the same year Manon des Sources. Indecently it was these two films that turned Daniel Auteuil into a star and were deemed to have captured the beauty of rural Provence more than any other French film.

Daniel Auteuil

This beauty is again evident in this latest romantic comedy drama. Delightfully presented and filmed, it’s begins just before the start of World War Two and tells the story Pascal Amoretti (Auteuil) the widowed well digger of the title who has six daughters. The eldest of which is the beautiful 18-year-old Patricia (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) who has a very brief affair with Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duauchelle) the rich son of a local storeowner and an air force pilot whose taken away to war before you can say ‘pregnant’. Felipe Rambert (Kad Merad) Pascal’s middle-aged assistant is in love with Patricia and when he finds out that she is expecting a child offers to marry her. Still in love with Jacques, who has now been reported missing presumed dead, she turns Felipe down and is banished by her father for disgracing the family and sent to stay with his sister who is also a fallen women. Jacques mother (the attractive Sabine Azema who I last saw in 2009 Wild Grass) and father (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) want nothing to do with their newly born grandson.

Astrid Berges-Frisbey

It’s great to have the pleasure to watch, what I would describe, as an old fashioned film of love and manners, one with a linear narrative and one which leaves you with a warm feeling, which does not go amiss this time of year! If your looking for a film with no hidden meanings, honest and straightforward camera work, a agreeable story line and a director that brings out the authenticity of the characters then I think you will agree that Auteuil debut is a success, albeit a very French style success.

Petites Coupures

  This uninteresting drama Petites Coupures (2003) is a film to avoid. It stars Daniel Auteuil as Bruna, a world-weary journalist who has literally lost his way in the foothills of Grenoble when he encounters the enigmatic Beatrice (Kristin Scott Thomas). As a result of this meeting Bruno’s life of adultery just ends up becoming even more hopelessly tangled. Surprisingly, with the caliber of acting talent on display, this is a very rare animal, a bad French movie!

The Girl on the Bridge

Adele (Vanessa Paradis) is 22 years old with a history of picking the wrong man; she contemplates suicide by jumping off the ledge of a bridge. Along comes Gabor (Daniel Auteuil) a professional knife thrower whose searching for a new target, offers the job to Adele who turns him down and jumps. Jumping in after her the pair are soon off on their travels. They discover that their luck has changed when his “blind” knife-throwing act avoids killing his partner and her luck at the roulette table wins a small fortune. When will this good luck end you may ask?

Adele's luck at the table's continues.

The director of The Hairdressers Husband (1990), Patrice Leconte, repeats his success with The Girl on the Bridge (1999). A black and white film admittedly more about images than plot but when that image is Vanessa Paradis it’s never a problem. A delicate French love story, original and fresh.

La Reine Margot

Patrice Chereau is a man of many talents including directing French theatre and opera, producer, filmmaker (Gabrielle 2005, Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train 1998) and actor, appearing in Michael Haneke’s post-apocalyptic drama Time of the Wolf (2003).

Margot and Husband

The Chereau directed French period drama La Reine Margot (1994) is based on the 1845 historical novel written by Alexandra Dumas, which in turn was based on real life events and characters including the notorious St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572 in which French Catholics massacred between 5000 and 30000 Huguenot Protestants including a good many of their leaders who were in Paris for the wedding of the Catholic Kings sister Margaret to the Protestant Henry 3 of Navarre. France at that time was torn apart by bitter religious wars and Margot is forced to marry in an effort to reconcile her native France. It was only six days after the wedding that the massacre took place instigated by her mother the ruthless and scheming Catherine de’ Medici. But further problems arise when Margot realises she has no feelings for her new husband and falls for a well to do Protestant soldier La Mole.

Margot and Lover

This exceptional film stars the sensual Isabelle Adjani (Possession 1981) as Margaret of Valois, Daniel Auteuil (Hidden 2005, MR73 2008, 36 Quides des Orfevres 2004) as Henry 3 of Navarre and Virna Lisi won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as Catherine de Medic. Look carefully and you will spot the 19 year-old Asia Argento (The Last Mistress 2007, Transylvania 2006, Marie Antoinette 2006 and the brilliant The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things 2004) as Charlotte de Sauve mistress of Henry and court spy for Margot’s mother.

This has got to be one of the best period dramas I’ve had the pleasure to see, its gritty, bloodthirsty and full of strong well-acted characters, completely believable, you can almost smell the grime. I believe it was shown on the telly a short while ago, if it comes around again don’t miss it.

MR73

To describe director and writer Olivier Marchal's follow up to 36 Orfevres Quaides (2004) as gritty is an understatement! Tense, gripping and extremely bloody goes some way in describing the edgy French crime drama, MR73 (2008), which was inspired by true events.

Louis Schneider

A cop on the edge of an emotional breakdown, Louis Schneider (Daniel Auteuil), is on the trail of a violent madman. Charles Subra (Philippe Nahon) is up for parole after serving 25 years for rape and murder. At the parole board he insists that he’s a changed man, finding God and recognising the error of his ways. Justine (Olivia Bonamy), who witnessed her mother and father’s brutal killing, does not believe that, Subra has changed. She makes the unusual decision to write to the killer in prison telling him that she thinks that a life sentence should really mean a life sentence.

Manurhin MR73

There’s a lot more depth to this movie than my short synopsis would suggest, it certainly asks the viewer to determine the good from the bad. French crime drama at its best. Indecently the title refers to a Manurhin MR73, a French double action revolver. Its standard issue for French elite police and military special weapons and tactics teams.