Billy Wilder and the Cahiers du Cinema "young turks"

This study purports to be little else than an examination of the relations on a critical of vis-a-vis the Cahiers du Cinema "young turks" and the American director Billy Wilder, while, also, attempting to set that reaction against the reaction of their contemporary Parisian critic brethren. It stretches form the November 1953 issue to the April 1965 issue. As chance would have it, both issues are milestones in the story of "young turk" critics at Cahiers. For the first two and a half years, articles by these young critics only appeared sporadically in that magazine, but in November this group would pretty much dominate the film review section with three of them, Jacques Rivette (Madame de), Claude Chabrol (Singing in the Rain) and François Truffaut ( Stalag 17 and Niagara -- using the pen-name Robert Lachenay). Two months later, Cahiers would publish Truffaut's Une Certaine Tendance de Cinema Francais. And, more importantly, the February 1954 issue saw the publication of the transcribed interview of Jacques Becker by Truffaut and Rivette. From that point on, the "young turks" were a force to be reckoned with. The April 1965 issue was the last in which Jacques Rivette is credited on the masthead as editor-in-chief. Beginning the next month, the younger turks -- Jean-Louis Comolli, Jean Narboni -- would be the major force at Cahiers.
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For a explanation of their thinking behind the conseil des dix, see the introduction to my study of Jacques Rivette's tenure on the conseil.
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The translations here are mine except for the two -- Stalag 17 and The Seven Year Itch -- whaich are from Leonard Mayhew's translation of François Truffaut's The Films in my Life.
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Stalag 17 Nov 1953 No. 28
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François Truffaut's review of this film from this issue was reprinted in The Films in my Life by François Truffaut; translated by Leonard Mayhew published in 1975. It appears here as translated there by Leonard Mayhew. The opening of this review is a little clearer when you realize that the title in France of this film translates as “seven years of reflection”

“The metaphor is exaggerated. It doesn’t take seven minutes to realize that The Seven Year Itch is beyond smut and licentiousness and that it takes us past the limits of evil to a kind of worn-down regret, good humor, and kindness.” Further on, Truffaut writes, “If we admire, rather than grow annoyed, it is because the film’s verve and inventiveness, its cavalier vigor and naughtiness demand complicity.”
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Sabrina March 1955 No. 45
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Jacques Donoil-Valcroze reviewed this film. He said, in part, "The dialogue is very elaborate, sometimes, poetic and a tad precious (the couplet, "Paris, with a little spring rain' has the allure of Giradoux), sometimes progressing through allusion in order to avoid sentimental banalities. . . always brilliant, theatrical and a little snobbishly Broadway. (It will one day be necessary to speak of all that Hollywood owes to Broadway.)"
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from the Noel 1955 issue of Cahiers du Cinema no. 54
In this special Situation of American Cinema issue, Cahiers published a Dictionary of American Directors, a collection of thumbnail critiques of directors written by Jacques Donoil-Valcroze, Charles Bitsch, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette and François Truffaut. This is a translation of Wilder's critique.
"Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. Unfortunately, this is more often the guise to which he owes the essence of his reputation. Thus, he has given us a few film which are actually unviewable, Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard, The Big Carnival where the vulgarity, the hand-me-down feeling make them painful to view. but he is also the auteur of Sabrina and, most happily, Stalag 17, where the psychological acuity, the efficient simplicity of tone and the intelligence of purpose compel admiration. Yet with Brackett, at hand, The Seven Year Itch delivers us a Jeckyll a little salacious, but infinitely sympathetic in his canning of the Grand Guignol of mise-en-scene."
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The Seven Year Itch March 1956 No. 57
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The opening of this review is a little clearer when you realize that the title in France of this film translates as “seven years of reflection”.

“The metaphor is exaggerated. It doesn’t take seven minutes to realize that The Seven Year Itch is beyond smut and licentiousness and that it takes us past the limits of evil to a kind of worn-down regret, good humor, and kindness.” Further on, Truffaut writes, “If we admire, rather than grow annoyed, it is because the film’s verve and inventiveness, its cavalier vigor and naughtiness demand complicity.”
As translated by Leonard Mayhew in The Films in my Life / by François Truffaut ; translated by Leonard Mayhew
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Sitting on the conseil des dix, Truffaut - the lone "young turk" on that conseil - gave the film 3 stars. the only other panelist to give the film 3 stars was André Bazin. The film received a total of ten stars from the other six critcs who rated it. Only Georges Sadoul bulleted the film.
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The Spirit of St. Louis July 1957 No 73
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This film was not reviewed in Cahiers. Its release in Paris was noted in the July 1957 issue with this comment, "This Bressonian adventure can be excused only as an avant-garde film. Commercial neccessity constrined Wilder to intergrate into his narrative very long, very labored flashbacks. Only two reels are viewable.
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That months conseil des dix
For the "young turks'
Jacques Rivette abstained.
François Truffaut bulleted the film.
Eric Rohmer gave the film 1 star.

Among the other critics.
Four critics gave the film a total of 5 stars. The only panelist to give the film 2 stars was France-Soir's France Roche. André Bazin abstained.
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Love in the Afternoon July 1957 No. 73
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The film was reviewed by Serge Parmion and compared unfavorably to Roger Vadim's Sait-on Jamais.
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the conseil des dix
for the young turks;

Jacques Rivette abstained.

François Truffaut bulleted the film.

Eric Rohmer gave the film 1 star.

exactly as they had in the same month for The Spirit of St. Louis

The other critics gave this film a total of 9 stars. Georges Sadoul and Henri Agel bulleted the film.
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Witness for the Prosecution March 1958 No. 81
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Fereydoun Hoveyda wrote a short review which appeared in the Autres Films section. He compared the film unfavorably to Fritz Lang's Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.
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the conseil des dix
for the young turks;
Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohmer both gave the film 1 star.

This film received a total of 15 stars from all ten critics. Georges Sadoul was the only bullet.
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Some Like It Hot Nov 1959 No. 101
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Co-founder and co-editor of Cahiers Jacques Doniol-Valcroze reviewed this film for Cahiers. He wrote of how despite that about one hundred people had told him that the film was bad, he found the film, "exquisite, subtle, sharp, captivating, admirably produced and directed, . . . and not so hilarious." He went on to call it, "An ambiguous film, often bitter, sometimes a bit shocking, but always intelligent, subtle and, from time to time, moving."
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the conseil des dix
for the young turks;
Jacques Rivette and Luc Moullet gave the film 3 stars. They were the only two of the ten to give the film 3 stars. Eric Rohmer gave the film 2 stars and Jean Douchet gave the film 1 star. Jean-Luc Godard bulleted the film. 9 stars in all from the five young turk critics.
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The five remaining critics gave the film another 7 stars for a total of 16 stars. Among those five, Georges Sadoul was the lone bullet.
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The Apartment Nov 1960 no. 113
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Jean Douchet reveiewed the film for Cahiers, he wrote, in part, "The greatest reproach that I address to wilder is to not have answered the possibilities of the the subject. He grasped at a master-piece, he only succeeded in a a good film."
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the conseil des dix
for the young turks;
Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer and Jean Douchet all gave the film 2 stars.
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No one gave the film more than 2 stars. But neither did anyone bullet the film. The other seven critics chipped in another 9 stars for a total of 15 stars. Even Georges Sadoul gave teh film 1 star.
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One, Two, Three May 1962 no 131
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This film is the only other example besides The Spirit of St. Louis of a Wilder film from this period which was not given at least a short review in Cahiers. The May 1962 issue of the magazine simply noted its recent release in Paris with this comment. "In this painful story of the East-West rivalry, Wilder, in the end of the run, falls dead into that heaviness and vulgarity whose avoidance by working the edges makes a good part of the charm of his earlier work."
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the conseil des dix
for the young turks; Jean Douchet gave the film 1 star while Jacques Rivette and Michel Delahaye both bulleted the film. André Labarthe abstained.
Michel Mardore who had recently started to write for Cahiers and would eventually contribute in excess of !70 articles gave the film 2 stars. He was the only panelists to give the film more than 1 star as the film received a total of 5 stars. Not surprisingly, Georges Sadoul bulleted the film.

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Wilder was interviewed by Jean Domarch and Jean Douchet in the August 1962 issue of Cahiers du Cinema.

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Irma La Douce Nov 63 no. 149
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Michel Mardore review read in part, "As all truly modern creators, Billy Wilder has been able to escape to a kind of "detachment", even involuntary. This is no "pie-in-the-face" comedy, but, on the contrary, but a pattern of tearing apart for each artist. Wilder's originality (and the process intrudes into Irma) consists in making the impossible decision for the artist. You never know who is detaching and who is being detached. The folly of a nondescript definition designates the discomfort of the spectator as a basic motive of the work.
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the conseil des dix
for the young turks; Jacques Rivette and Jean Douchet both gave the film 3 stars. Eric Rohmer gave the film 2 stars.
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The seven non-Cahiers critics added another three stars for a toal of eleven stars for this film. Georges Sadoul, Paris-Presse's Michel Aubriant and Arts' Jean-Louis Bory all bulleted the film.
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Ten best list: Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and Luc Moullet all cited this film in the year-end lists for Cahiers.
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The Dec63-Jan64 issue of Cahiers was another special issue dedicated to American cinema. for this issues dictionary of American directors, Jean-Luc Godard produced this thumbnail.
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"After seven of itching, he decided to no longer bring tragedy to the joke. But much to the contrary to bring the comic to the serious. He took out an insurance policy on cinematographic survival and success invited itself in. Progressively, he threw into the nettles the grand subjects ‘Humane’. Billy became one of the new greats of Hollywood and, while replacing Wyler and Zinneman in the hearts of the exhibitors, he established himself as the worthy inheritor of Lubitsch in the hearts of cinephiles. For he had found once again the soul of the kid, waggishly ’berlinois’, since ruse serves henceforth as tenderness and irony serves as technical know-how. From then “Love in the Afternoon” and Marilyn and in spite one, two, three false steps, ’Irma La Douce’, thanks to the finesse and the acuity of its Panavision, the clarity of the play of Jack and Shirley, the colors of LaShelle, which I like, and Trauner. This sweet Irma I say initials wonderfully a double ascension, at the box-office and as art. The result: a collection of qualities which suffice in a droll manner to transform worldly man into a unaffected cineaste."
"Cahiers du Cinema" Dec63-Jan64 page 178
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Godard's American Director thumbnails Cahiers du Cinema Dec63-Jan64 click here
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Kiss Me Stupid Apr 1965 no. 163
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The film was reviewed by Gérard Guégan. He wrote, in part, "Wilder's cinema rest on a principle equivalent to that of Marivaux's comedies. The page is a woman whom the countess conquers and the world trembles of change at its foundation." Guégan would cite the film as one of the ten best of the year in the January 1966 issue.
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the conseil des dix ( appears in March's conseil)
for the young turks; Jean-Louis Comolli gave the film 4 stars, Jacques Rivette, Jean Douchet and Michel Delahaye gave the film 3 stars.
The six non-Cahiers critics chipped in another eight stars for a total of twenty-one stars, including two from Positif 's Robert Benayoun. Jean-Louis Bory and Nouvel-Observateur critic Michel Cournot bulleted this film.
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Ten best list:
young turk citings: Charles Bitsch, Jean-Louis Comolli, Jean Douchet, Gérard Guégan and François Truffaut.
Older Cahiers contributor Pierre Kast as well as Positif's Michel Ciment and also Charles Gauteur, Roger Therond and Michel Petris also cited the film in the ten best lists published by Cahiers.
The film was rated 15 among critics and 24 among readers by Cahiers.
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