As a child, Georges loses both his parents and ends up in the care of his uncle. His lonely adolescence isn't much fun, but he consoles himself by thinking of two bright prospects : upon reaching majority he will inherit his father's fortune and he will marry his cousin, a winsome little creature with the tiniest of waists. Upon reaching adulthood Georges discovers that his uncle has stolen his inheritance AND promised the lovely cousin to another, richer suitor...
A colourful and vivid movie, "Le voleur" is part psychological drama and part social satire. The story is set in a Belle Epoque France which, according to writer and director, is a dystopia : the country is ruled by a minority of rich bourgeois while the workers and farmers (aka the lower element) are supposed to doff their caps, toil and die of exhaustion in tasteful silence. Ever vigilant, the rich and powerful try to avert the threat of a revolution by pointing at scapegoats such as the Jews, the Freemasons or the Smurfs. They also cloak themselves in false respectability, for instance by insisting on their charity and piety.
Whether the Belle Epoque was really that dire is a matter to be discussed by professional historians. However, the movie's vision is both plausible and eerily, uncannily familiar. Even nowadays, many viewers living in the Western world will recognize the sort of "charity event" practiced by the happy few, to wit a glittering party where guests in designer clothes and diamonds mingle with power brokers, celebrities and gold diggers. And yes, somewhere in a corner of a room there stands a nun or a priest (well-washed, well-spoken and well-used to this kind of event) who nods and murmurs a prayer every time someone drops a ten-dollar bill into a basket... Or think of all those social media items, where a politician richer than God bakes pancakes for the homeless - in the strictest of intimacy, of course, since Humility Is All.
So "Le voleur" is pretty good at analyzing - and skewering - this kind of injustice and inequality. Sadly its strength is also its weakness, in the sense that it keeps hammering on the same nail. As a viewer, you get a wide array of rich crooks ; you also get a bunch of professional criminals such as burglars, con men and fences, many of whom chose their profession as a revolt against the egotism and moral decay of the elite. And that's it : you don't get much in the way of inoffensive people living normal lives. It's one crime or one vice after another. After a while this becomes.. dare I say it.. well, predictable.
Now that I've started saying negative things about the movie, I might just as well add that I found the ending underwhelming. It was as if the movie were working towards some kind of emotional climax or narrative conclusion which never arrived.
None of this means that "Le voleur" is bad. Watch it for the high production values, the opulent period detail, the satirical bite and the fine lead performance by Belmondo. Or simply watch it for the costumes, which, especially in the case of the prosperous women, are ravishing examples of charm, style and seduction.
A colourful and vivid movie, "Le voleur" is part psychological drama and part social satire. The story is set in a Belle Epoque France which, according to writer and director, is a dystopia : the country is ruled by a minority of rich bourgeois while the workers and farmers (aka the lower element) are supposed to doff their caps, toil and die of exhaustion in tasteful silence. Ever vigilant, the rich and powerful try to avert the threat of a revolution by pointing at scapegoats such as the Jews, the Freemasons or the Smurfs. They also cloak themselves in false respectability, for instance by insisting on their charity and piety.
Whether the Belle Epoque was really that dire is a matter to be discussed by professional historians. However, the movie's vision is both plausible and eerily, uncannily familiar. Even nowadays, many viewers living in the Western world will recognize the sort of "charity event" practiced by the happy few, to wit a glittering party where guests in designer clothes and diamonds mingle with power brokers, celebrities and gold diggers. And yes, somewhere in a corner of a room there stands a nun or a priest (well-washed, well-spoken and well-used to this kind of event) who nods and murmurs a prayer every time someone drops a ten-dollar bill into a basket... Or think of all those social media items, where a politician richer than God bakes pancakes for the homeless - in the strictest of intimacy, of course, since Humility Is All.
So "Le voleur" is pretty good at analyzing - and skewering - this kind of injustice and inequality. Sadly its strength is also its weakness, in the sense that it keeps hammering on the same nail. As a viewer, you get a wide array of rich crooks ; you also get a bunch of professional criminals such as burglars, con men and fences, many of whom chose their profession as a revolt against the egotism and moral decay of the elite. And that's it : you don't get much in the way of inoffensive people living normal lives. It's one crime or one vice after another. After a while this becomes.. dare I say it.. well, predictable.
Now that I've started saying negative things about the movie, I might just as well add that I found the ending underwhelming. It was as if the movie were working towards some kind of emotional climax or narrative conclusion which never arrived.
None of this means that "Le voleur" is bad. Watch it for the high production values, the opulent period detail, the satirical bite and the fine lead performance by Belmondo. Or simply watch it for the costumes, which, especially in the case of the prosperous women, are ravishing examples of charm, style and seduction.