It would be a pity to see this film ghettoised as gay cinema. It is undoubtedly the best film I saw in 2009 and shows what fine work can result from a painstaking commitment to historical detail on the one hand and a concern with plot, character and dramatic tension on the other. No explicit sex scenes and no unnecessary gratuitous violence. A triumph of intelligence and sensitivity.
Portraying occupied Vichy France has proved notoriously contentious and difficult since 1945. This is one of the the fairest films I have seen so far. In particular, it highlights the moral ambiguities and mixed motives involved for any French person engaging with the Germans in daily life. Whether French administrator, businessman, policeman or friend of Jews, the Occupation offered both moral dilemmas and also opportunities to make a fast buck. Stealing the property of deported Jews and black market profiteering appear here as central themes as does the idea of dealing with the enemy for more noble purposes.
The Fourth French Republic was compelled to construct itself on shaky foundations inherited from this murky world: deciding who was collaborator and who resister became part of a foundation myth which was flawed from the start. 'A Self-Made Hero' (1996) deals with some of the ambiguities involved for Frenchmen compelled to reinvent themselves after the Liberation. Mitterand was never able to shake off his Vichy connections.
'A Love to Hide' highlights this central ambiguity extremely well. We are left pondering the most interesting but least appealing character, Jacques, the petty criminal younger brother, as anti-hero. In a fit of jealous pique he unintentionally brings destruction on the central character Jean, treats with the enemy to enrich himself at the expense of Jews and yet marries and protects a Jewess with whom he is infatuated and kills a cruel exploiter of Jews. Villainy is a very grey condition. Nothing is black and white: a Jewess seeking revenge for the death of her parents feels sullied by her attempt.
The Jacques character in many ways represents the Common Man with no interest in politics but with every interest in fostering his own needs. In this respect he reflects the plight of millions of French people during the Occupation who were not pro-German but sullied themselves in their dealings with the new Power which ruled their land.
The film's central theme of homosexuality reminds us that the Great French Revolution decriminalised 'sodomy' in 1791 as part of its general attack on the power of Catholic Church. Vichy recriminalised it in 1942, a ban that was only lifted in 1982. The film makes reference to the Vichy dislike of Jews and gays whom they held responsible for a French moral decline which led to the 1940 debacle.
The film graphically portrays the Nazi persecution of gays, pink triangles, sterilisations etc. It is not fair to suggest that 'Bent' should hold a monopoly of scenes showing pink triangles breaking rocks or that this film is in some way derivative. I saw 'Bent' on stage with Ian McKellan in 1979 and it made a powerful impression which did not really transfer to the film. 'A Love to Hide' is undoubtedly the better of the two films because its tapestry is so rich and the gay experience is woven so competently into the fabric of everyday life. 'Bent' will always be seen as a piece of gay propaganda and will probably remain 'ghettoised' as such: necessary for its time but also necessarily limited.
All of this historical accuracy would count for little if character and plot did not work together to create a compelling and believable drama. They work magnificently. The dramatic tension produced by the central 'menage a quatre' is skilfully crafted. The characters react to each other in an entirely believable way and the story unfolds in a manner which suggests fact rather than fiction. As with many French films, the use of a narrator adds a touch of authenticity.
Two unrequited lovers must settle for less than the real thing and all four characters have to shift their concept of love to a higher, almost platonic, level so that the greater good prevails. Corrupt policemen and SS-men, gay German officers, Vichy spies, collaborators with good/bad motives, petit-bourgeois Petainist mentalities, sibling rivalry, parental imperfections as well as the sheer hypocrisy of gays living in the closet are key elements which are handled with intelligence and sensitivity. Life is shown in all its complexity but this enhances the drama rather than overwhelms it. Potentially difficult material is handled with a lightness of touch. The story is well told.
The film goes some way in highlighting the 40-year wrong inflicted by the French state on the French gay community and in this respect it achieves what 'Days of Glory' achieves for French Muslims. Two groups of outsiders seeking identity, integration and acceptance within broader French society – and with each other. Now there's the stuff of future drama!
Portraying occupied Vichy France has proved notoriously contentious and difficult since 1945. This is one of the the fairest films I have seen so far. In particular, it highlights the moral ambiguities and mixed motives involved for any French person engaging with the Germans in daily life. Whether French administrator, businessman, policeman or friend of Jews, the Occupation offered both moral dilemmas and also opportunities to make a fast buck. Stealing the property of deported Jews and black market profiteering appear here as central themes as does the idea of dealing with the enemy for more noble purposes.
The Fourth French Republic was compelled to construct itself on shaky foundations inherited from this murky world: deciding who was collaborator and who resister became part of a foundation myth which was flawed from the start. 'A Self-Made Hero' (1996) deals with some of the ambiguities involved for Frenchmen compelled to reinvent themselves after the Liberation. Mitterand was never able to shake off his Vichy connections.
'A Love to Hide' highlights this central ambiguity extremely well. We are left pondering the most interesting but least appealing character, Jacques, the petty criminal younger brother, as anti-hero. In a fit of jealous pique he unintentionally brings destruction on the central character Jean, treats with the enemy to enrich himself at the expense of Jews and yet marries and protects a Jewess with whom he is infatuated and kills a cruel exploiter of Jews. Villainy is a very grey condition. Nothing is black and white: a Jewess seeking revenge for the death of her parents feels sullied by her attempt.
The Jacques character in many ways represents the Common Man with no interest in politics but with every interest in fostering his own needs. In this respect he reflects the plight of millions of French people during the Occupation who were not pro-German but sullied themselves in their dealings with the new Power which ruled their land.
The film's central theme of homosexuality reminds us that the Great French Revolution decriminalised 'sodomy' in 1791 as part of its general attack on the power of Catholic Church. Vichy recriminalised it in 1942, a ban that was only lifted in 1982. The film makes reference to the Vichy dislike of Jews and gays whom they held responsible for a French moral decline which led to the 1940 debacle.
The film graphically portrays the Nazi persecution of gays, pink triangles, sterilisations etc. It is not fair to suggest that 'Bent' should hold a monopoly of scenes showing pink triangles breaking rocks or that this film is in some way derivative. I saw 'Bent' on stage with Ian McKellan in 1979 and it made a powerful impression which did not really transfer to the film. 'A Love to Hide' is undoubtedly the better of the two films because its tapestry is so rich and the gay experience is woven so competently into the fabric of everyday life. 'Bent' will always be seen as a piece of gay propaganda and will probably remain 'ghettoised' as such: necessary for its time but also necessarily limited.
All of this historical accuracy would count for little if character and plot did not work together to create a compelling and believable drama. They work magnificently. The dramatic tension produced by the central 'menage a quatre' is skilfully crafted. The characters react to each other in an entirely believable way and the story unfolds in a manner which suggests fact rather than fiction. As with many French films, the use of a narrator adds a touch of authenticity.
Two unrequited lovers must settle for less than the real thing and all four characters have to shift their concept of love to a higher, almost platonic, level so that the greater good prevails. Corrupt policemen and SS-men, gay German officers, Vichy spies, collaborators with good/bad motives, petit-bourgeois Petainist mentalities, sibling rivalry, parental imperfections as well as the sheer hypocrisy of gays living in the closet are key elements which are handled with intelligence and sensitivity. Life is shown in all its complexity but this enhances the drama rather than overwhelms it. Potentially difficult material is handled with a lightness of touch. The story is well told.
The film goes some way in highlighting the 40-year wrong inflicted by the French state on the French gay community and in this respect it achieves what 'Days of Glory' achieves for French Muslims. Two groups of outsiders seeking identity, integration and acceptance within broader French society – and with each other. Now there's the stuff of future drama!