There are notable differences between Lewin's film and Maupassant's novel.This is the story of a go-getter ,Georges Duroy (whose nickname Bel -Ami" was invented by his conquests) who makes his way of life ,thanks to women .He's not very educated but he appeals to them a lot.
SPOILER:the ending is downright "moral".Albert Lewin was asked to "sweeten" Bel-Ami(Duroy) character and thus completely changed the conclusion:the novel saw the hero's triumph ,his marriage with Suzanne and the mother's despair -whereas in the film she plays the role of a deus ex machina- Generally Hollywood substitutes happy ends for sad endings (remember the priceless nineties version of "les misérables" in which Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) survives and the excellent though Dieterle' s "hunchback of Notre-Dame"(1939) at the end of which Esmeralda finds happiness:but Valjean and Esmeralda are positive heroes and Hollywood would not see an innocent die.On the other hand, Bel- Ami is so cynical a person that his death is some kind of "happy end".One must add that the fateful final duel is superbly filmed by Lewin .END OF SPOILER
It took forty years (you read well) to get this movie into Maupassant's native land.It was critically-acclaimed and the numerous qualities of Lewin's style were underlined:refinement of the settings -Paris is wonderfully recreated in the studio-,perfection of the cast -not only George Sanders but also Angela Landsbury,sensitive and moving,and Ann Dvorak,fine use of music :"Bel Ami waltz" ,the lullaby Landsbury's daughter,la petite Laurine plays on her piano,and the French traditional "auprès de ma blonde".Bel-Ami's cynicism reaches its climax when he plays cup-and-ball game (bilboquet)while his best friend Charles who suffers from tuberculosis is coughing.
That said,the story might be hard to follow for people who are not familiar with the novel.There are many subplots (the title is "private affairs of B.A." whereas the writer's title was simply "Bel-Ami") which intertwines and the script is not always clear:for instance ,B.A. tells
Clotilde (Landsbury) that he's going to marry Madeleine-in the novel he does marry her- but later he tells Suzanne he's free. (in the novel he divorces but the film does not give any explanations)
Lewin conveyed quite well the "hatred for the provinces " feeling which we hear when Bel -Ami tells how he loves the gai Paris.It's a pity that Duroy's "background" is passed over in silence :although the hero hints at his native Normandy ,the extraordinary scene when Madeleine meets her lover's parents ,two coarse vulgar peasants speaking a colorful patois was not kept by the script writers :it would have provided the film with a sharp contrast.
There is one short color shot (a few seconds) :Max Ernst's painting "la tentation de Saint-Antoine" .lewin had already used the trick in his precedent work "the picture of Dorian Gray" (1945).
N.B.If you like Maupassant 's adaptations for the screen,you will enjoy:
-"Une partie de campagne" Jean Renoir,1936 -"Le plaisir" Max Ophuls ,1951 -"Boule de Suif" Christian-Jacques ,1945 -"Une vie" Alexandre Astruc,1959.
SPOILER:the ending is downright "moral".Albert Lewin was asked to "sweeten" Bel-Ami(Duroy) character and thus completely changed the conclusion:the novel saw the hero's triumph ,his marriage with Suzanne and the mother's despair -whereas in the film she plays the role of a deus ex machina- Generally Hollywood substitutes happy ends for sad endings (remember the priceless nineties version of "les misérables" in which Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) survives and the excellent though Dieterle' s "hunchback of Notre-Dame"(1939) at the end of which Esmeralda finds happiness:but Valjean and Esmeralda are positive heroes and Hollywood would not see an innocent die.On the other hand, Bel- Ami is so cynical a person that his death is some kind of "happy end".One must add that the fateful final duel is superbly filmed by Lewin .END OF SPOILER
It took forty years (you read well) to get this movie into Maupassant's native land.It was critically-acclaimed and the numerous qualities of Lewin's style were underlined:refinement of the settings -Paris is wonderfully recreated in the studio-,perfection of the cast -not only George Sanders but also Angela Landsbury,sensitive and moving,and Ann Dvorak,fine use of music :"Bel Ami waltz" ,the lullaby Landsbury's daughter,la petite Laurine plays on her piano,and the French traditional "auprès de ma blonde".Bel-Ami's cynicism reaches its climax when he plays cup-and-ball game (bilboquet)while his best friend Charles who suffers from tuberculosis is coughing.
That said,the story might be hard to follow for people who are not familiar with the novel.There are many subplots (the title is "private affairs of B.A." whereas the writer's title was simply "Bel-Ami") which intertwines and the script is not always clear:for instance ,B.A. tells
Clotilde (Landsbury) that he's going to marry Madeleine-in the novel he does marry her- but later he tells Suzanne he's free. (in the novel he divorces but the film does not give any explanations)
Lewin conveyed quite well the "hatred for the provinces " feeling which we hear when Bel -Ami tells how he loves the gai Paris.It's a pity that Duroy's "background" is passed over in silence :although the hero hints at his native Normandy ,the extraordinary scene when Madeleine meets her lover's parents ,two coarse vulgar peasants speaking a colorful patois was not kept by the script writers :it would have provided the film with a sharp contrast.
There is one short color shot (a few seconds) :Max Ernst's painting "la tentation de Saint-Antoine" .lewin had already used the trick in his precedent work "the picture of Dorian Gray" (1945).
N.B.If you like Maupassant 's adaptations for the screen,you will enjoy:
-"Une partie de campagne" Jean Renoir,1936 -"Le plaisir" Max Ophuls ,1951 -"Boule de Suif" Christian-Jacques ,1945 -"Une vie" Alexandre Astruc,1959.