Damn, why was it so cold on the sets? I know Bresson liked to strip movies down to the bare essentials, but damn, couldn't he have gotten some heating?
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Bluesdoctor would you like to continue? I mean your criticism seems rather unfruitful, if I may say so. "Boring" that's like saying, this movie was bad because I don't like sad movies. Or, in turn: "I think The Great Dictator is bad because I don't like comedies." That is what gives film criticism a bad name these days. Why do you think that Les dames du Boid de Boulogne is a manifestation of French misantrophy? And I wouldn't draw such black-and-white parallels to WWII. For, Bresson seems to be reluctant to social dimensions. In my opinion, he was much more interested in psychology, power, erotic obsession and sees vengeance as an abstract basis. Furthermore, I'm not even sure whether this film was made during Nazi occupation. In 1944 the Allies got them out of France and this film was made in 1945. Of course, it is possible that it was filmed in 1944 but where are your references?
share"Boring" that's like saying, this movie was bad because I don't like sad moviesI don't think it's like saying that at all.
I saw Les Dames last night. Americans are poorly informed about life in occupied countries during the War. Most of the relevant texts about this are in French anyway. I will try to explain. The sets were cold because it was hard, if not impossible to obtain fuel for home heating, cars and trucks and so on in winter. Much of the coal and gas produced in France went to Germany. Even the film negative, about 70%, was sent there.
An actor or technician to stay alive in winter had to work through the night: at least on set there was enough heat to keep going. You can see the obvious pleasure that Paul Bernard and Maria Casares took in sitting by the fire in one scene in her drawing-room.
Good points about it being wartime and the lack of supplies. But heck I think making a movie when their country is such deplorable conditions is rather excess to me.
shareAfter Pearl Harbor was attacked, did Hollywood throw up its elegant hands and collectively say "We can't make any more movies given the gravity of the situation America finds itself in!" Obviously not. The need to tell stories goes on despite the conditions we find ourselves in. There's a wonderful recording of songs sung in Madrid just before the city was captured by Franco's forces: you can hear bombs falling outside the studio. That's the kind of spirit I respond to.
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