My Gleanings

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Julien Duvivier and Cahiers du Cinema

We have all read many times of how the young critics at Cahiers du Cinema have savaged Julien Duvivier. Rarely, though, is an attempt made to specify what was said and done during these "attacks'. This is an attempt to begin to draw up a ledger of the reaction of these young critics to Duvivier.
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Some Notes.
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The conseil des dix was a tableau where the reactions of ten critics to recently released films were recorded. Usually it would break down to about 5 Cahiers regulars and five critics from other newspapers or magazines. Some critics from other venues who would regularly weigh in would be Claude Mauriac, Jean de Baroncelli, Henri Agel, Georges Sadoul and Positif's Robert Benayoun.
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The system could be described as:
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4 stars -- See it even if you have to go out of town to.
3 stars -- Go across town if need be to see it.
2 stars -- See it but wait till it is playing in your neighborhood.
1 star -- If you are going to the theater and it is playing, go -- it won't hurt you.
bullet -- No reason to go see it.
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4 stars was used only from mid-1957 onward.
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Voici le Temps des Assassins...
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This film was reviewed in the May 1956 issue of Cahiers by André Labarthe. He spoke Duvivier’s techinique being "as fluid as that of Dassin" and "of a faultless appearance. He bares witness to a straightforwardness rather rare among our directors"
Nine critics gave the film eleven stars, including two from François Truffaut and two from Jacques Donoil-Valcroze. No one bulleted the film, André Bazin abstained.
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In his recapitulation of French film for the year 1956 published in the final issue of ARTS-LETTRES-SPECTACLES of that year, Francois Truffaut would write this about this film:

"Even though Julien Duvivier isn’t a young filmmaker, "Le Temps des Assassins", made with an exemplary probity and a touching love for welldone work, is attractive, naive, falsely gloomy, and, all in all, an enterprise generous in spirit."

NOTE: The reference to "young filmmmaker" was occasioned by Truffaut's having just praised films by the younger directors Henri Verneuil and Claude Boissol.
From "The Early Film Criticism of François Truffaut" edited by Wheeler Winston Dixon and translated by Sonja Kropp.
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L’Homme à l'Imperméable
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This film was not reviewed by Cahiers. The March 1957 issue noted its release in Paris and commented, “Fernandel soaked in a dark story, but Duvivier does not wish to get himself wet.”
Five panelists gave the film one star, including François Truffaut. André Bazin was the lone bullet. Among the abstainers were Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohmer.
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Pot-Bouille
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François Truffaut reviewed this film in the December 1957 issue of Cahiers. My translation of that review is available:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0245213/board/flat/43330214?d=44136515#44136515
Six critics gave the film nine stars in total, including two each from Pierre Braunbarger and Jean de Baroncelli. Jacques Rivette and Charles Bitsch abstained.
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La Femme et le Pantin
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Luc Moullet reviewed this film for the April 1959 issue. He said that it was more a film starring Brigitte Bardot than a film directed by Julien Duvivier.
Two critics (Moullet and Braunbarger) gave the film one star each. Seven bulleted it (Godard, Rivette and Louis Marcorelles plus Henri Agel, Georges Sadoul, Claude Mauriac and Jean de Baroncelli). Eric Rohmer abstained.
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Marie-Octobre
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This film’s release was noted in the June 1959 issue. It was called a sort of reverse “Twelve Angry Men” whose “authors hold the 90 minutes only by a series of techniques and plot twists completely artificial. The direction goes accordingly.”
Two critics gave it a total of two stars. It was bulleted by five critics, including Rivette, Godard and Moullet. While Jacques Demy, Charles Bitsch and Eric Rohmer all abstained.
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Das Kunstseidene Mädchen
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This film’s release was noted in the September 1960 issue with a two sentence plot summary and it was not considered by the conseil.
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Boulevard
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This film’s release was noted in the January 1961 issue without any allusion being made to Duvivier.
Two critics (Michel Aubriant and Jean de Baroncelli) gave it one star each.
Two from among the younger Cahiers staff (Jacques Rivette and André Labarthe) bulleted the film. Claude Mauriac and Jacques Donoil-Valcroze also bulleted the film.
Eric Rohmer abstained.
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La Chambre Ardente
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Release noted in the July 1962 issue with the comment, “…It is no longer necessary to speak of an unawareness or an incapacity, but of a pure and simple shoddiness.”
The film received one lone star from Paris-Presse critic Michel Aubriant. Six panelists bulleted the film, including, Jacques Rivette, André Labarthe and Jean Douchet. Michel Delahaye and Louis Marcorelles abstained.
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Le Diable et les Dix Commandements
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Not reviewed, its release was noted in the November 1962 issue with the comment, “The devil has dropped two or three commandments, but this monotonous Heptalogue or Hexalogue is ample enough to prove to us that, in the comic or the sentimental as well as in the saucy, Beelzebub is stripped of humor and talent.”
The film received its only star from Georges Sadoul. It was bulleted by five panelists including two from the younger staff at Cahiers, Jacques Rivette and Jean Douchet. Others bulleting the film were Henri Agel and Michel Aubriant. Eric Rohmer and André Labarthe abstained.
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Chair de Poule
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Not reviewed, its release was noted in the Dec63-Jan64 issue with the comment, “…flat, skimpy, without any attempt at intellectual justification.”
This film received not one star. Six panelists bulleted the film including Jacques Rivette and Jean-Luc Godard. Also bulleting the film were Godard-nemesis and Positif critic Robert Benayoun, Georges Sadoul, Jean de Baroncelli and Jean-Louis Bory.
Jean Douchet was among the abstainers.
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Diaboliquement Vôtre
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The February 1968 issue noted its release and Jean Narboni wrote, “…constantly flat or rehashed.”
Two critics gave it one star, including Michel Aubriant. Seven bulleted the film, including, Positif’s Robert Benayoun, Narboni, Jean-André Fieschi and Michel Delahaye .

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