The protagonist of Irwin Shaw's second and sadly neglected novel, The Troubled Air, is a liberal radio producer at the time of the McCarthy witch-hunts who draws flak from both the Right and Left because of his stance on the actors, writers and technicians he employs. In some ways Roger Richebe' was similar; a fine writer, director, producer, he came under fire from both the New Wavers and the Old Guard. It's not difficult to understand why he upset the Godard set given that they detested anyone with more talent than themselves - and in Godard's case, of course, that meant everyone - but I for one am frankly bewildered by the Old Masters who should have embraced him as one of their own. In L'Habit Vert he takes on the Acacemy Francaise, that august body who, for centuries, have guarded the French Language as fiercely as Sicilian brothers guard a sister's virginity. They are cards to a man and Richebe has lots of fun showing them in all their petty vanities. Jules Berry seldom ventured into comedy - at least in my experience - and it is a joy to see him do so here in a 'camp' performance that may well have been used by Peter Lorre as a template for his Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon. Pierre Larquey is also on hand and delivers one of his more than reliable performances as does Bernard Blier in a much smaller role. A gem.
2 Reviews
Richelieu would turn in his grave
dbdumonteil27 January 2008
Which way to the French Academy?it is a learned society of leading men (and since 1980 women)of letters.They are in charge of the French dictionary notably :there is an excellent scene where the society is speaking of an entry about ...camomile ;one of them has written an interminable entry:"who on earth is going to read that? sneers one of his colleagues.
"l'habit vert" ,is excellent " filmed stage" production,one more reason which makes you wonder why Roger Richebé was despised by the old and the new wave .His film ,mainly in its second part ,is sheer delight.No one emerges unscathed from this slanging match:the nobles,the bourgeois,the wives,the husbands,the cuckolds,even the French academy.
Caught off her guard ,while she is with her lover on his knees in front of her,the lady is in distress but the man's secretary comes to the rescue;he was begging his mistress to help him become an Academician ,like the cheated husband.The latter is looking for a candidate for there is a vacancy.
"but I cannot be an Academician ,says the unfortunate lover,I failed my Bac (high school diploma)" "never mind,the wife answers ,to get an A level ,you have got to know something,but to become part of the Academy ,it does not matter!" What an academy! a dean who is a senile laughing old fossil, a society of men dressed in green ("l'habit vert" )who sometimes mistake one page of their speech for a love letter.
The Rumanian wife ,who is not entirely fluent in French sighs: "I'm in a sorry state of prostitution " (instead of "prostration") Such a film is not irrelevant today;on the contrary,it seems more topical today than ever:the race for power,for honors ,for medals.There are people who would die ,so to speak ,to get the "Legion d'honneur" ,a decoration which is given to anybody anyway nowadays.
My God! If the Cardinal de Richelieu came back....
"l'habit vert" ,is excellent " filmed stage" production,one more reason which makes you wonder why Roger Richebé was despised by the old and the new wave .His film ,mainly in its second part ,is sheer delight.No one emerges unscathed from this slanging match:the nobles,the bourgeois,the wives,the husbands,the cuckolds,even the French academy.
Caught off her guard ,while she is with her lover on his knees in front of her,the lady is in distress but the man's secretary comes to the rescue;he was begging his mistress to help him become an Academician ,like the cheated husband.The latter is looking for a candidate for there is a vacancy.
"but I cannot be an Academician ,says the unfortunate lover,I failed my Bac (high school diploma)" "never mind,the wife answers ,to get an A level ,you have got to know something,but to become part of the Academy ,it does not matter!" What an academy! a dean who is a senile laughing old fossil, a society of men dressed in green ("l'habit vert" )who sometimes mistake one page of their speech for a love letter.
The Rumanian wife ,who is not entirely fluent in French sighs: "I'm in a sorry state of prostitution " (instead of "prostration") Such a film is not irrelevant today;on the contrary,it seems more topical today than ever:the race for power,for honors ,for medals.There are people who would die ,so to speak ,to get the "Legion d'honneur" ,a decoration which is given to anybody anyway nowadays.
My God! If the Cardinal de Richelieu came back....
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