Julien Duvivier

[Scharphedin2]

Julien Duvivier (1896-1967)




Filmography

Haceldama ou le prix du sang (1919)

La Reincarnation de Serge Renaudier (1920)

Der Unheimliche Gast (1922)

L'Ouragan sur la montagne (1922)

L'Agonie des aigles (1922)

Les Roquevillard (1922)

Le Reflet de Claude Mercoeur (1923)

L'Oeuvre immortelle (1924)

Coeurs farouches (1924)

La Machine à refaire la vie (1924)

Credo ou la tragédie de Lourdes (1924)

Poil de carotte (1925)

L'Abbeé Constantin (1925)

L'Homme à l'Hispano (1926)

Le Mystère de la tour Eiffel (1927)

Le Mariage de Mademoiselle Beulemans (1927)

L'Agonie de Jérusalem (1927)

Le Tourbillon de Paris (1928)

La Vie miraculeuse de Thérèse Martin (1929)

La Divine croisière (1929)

Maman Colibri (1929)

David Golder (1929)

Au bonheur des dames (1930)

Die Fünf verfluchten Gentlemen (1931)

Les Cinq gentlemen maudits (1931)

La Vénus du collège (1932)

Allo Berlin? Ici Paris! (1932)

Poil de carotte (1932)

La Machine à refaire la vie (1933)

La Tête d'un homme (1933)

Le Petit roi (1933)

Le Paquebot Tenacity (1934)

Maria Chapdelaine (1934) - Warner* (R2 FR)

Golgotha (1935) - 20th Century Fox (R2 FR)

La Bandera (1935) - Warner* (R2 FR) / Cinema Libre (R1) / Vanguard (R1)

Le Golem (1936)

La Belle équipe (1936)

L'Homme du jour (1937)

Pépé le Moko (1937) - Criterion / Studio Canal (R2 FR) / Optimum Releasing (R2 UK)

Un carnet de bal (1937)

The Great Waltz (1938)

La Fin du jour (1939)

La Charrette fantôme (1939)

Lydia (1941)

Tales of Manhattan (1942)

Untel père et fils (1943) - Alpha Video (R1)

Flesh and Fantasy (1943) - Universal (R2 FR)

The Impostor (1944)

Panique (1947)

Anna Karenina (1948) - 20th Century Fox (R1) / Madacy (R1)

Au royaume des cieux (1949)

Black Jack (1950)

Sous le ciel de Paris (1951) - René Chateau (R2 FR)

Petit monde de Don Camillo (1952) - Universal (R2 FR) / Kinowelt (R2 DE)

La Fête à Henriette (1952)

Le Retour de Don Camillo (1953) - Universal (R2 FR)

L'Affaire Maurizius (1954)

Marianne, meine Jugendliebe (1955)

Marianne de ma jeunesse (1955)

Voici le temps des assassins (1956) - René Chateau (R2 FR)

L'Homme à l'imperméable (1957)

Pot-Bouille (1957) - Studio Canal (R2 FR)

La Femme et la pantin (1959) - Alcome Distribution (R2 FR)

Marie-Octobre (1959) - 20th Century Fox (R2 FR)

Das Kunstseidene Mädchen (1960)

Boulevard (1960)

La Chambre ardente (1962)

Le Diable et les dix commandements (1962) - René Chateau (R2 FR) / Concorde (R2 DE)

Chair de poule (1963) - Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Diaboliquement vôtre (1967) - Studio Canal (R2 FR)

* Coffret Jean Gabin - Warner (R2 FR)


Forum Discussion

French Film from 1930 - 1939

Web Resources

BIFI

DVDclassik (discussion of the recent French court case about the publication rights of some Duvivier titles)

Film Forum

Films de France

Print Material

Julien Duvivier (Yves Desrichard, Durante, 2001)

Julien Duvivier. le mal aimant du cinema français [2 volumes] (Eric Bonnefille, L'Harmattan, 2002)

Mists of Regret: Culture and Sensibility in Classic French Film (Dudley Andrew, Princeton UP, 1995)


-- Thanks to Kinsayder and Davidhare for providing helpful information for this Forum Resources thread.

[Kinsayder]

There's some interesting news in Le Monde about a falling-out between René Chateau Video and the estate of director Julien Duvivier.

In summary, RCV has been fined 30,000 Euros and forbidden from (re)publishing 11 of Duvivier's films: 9 silents made between 1925 and 1929, plus "La Belle Equipe" (1936) and "La Fin du Jour" (1939).

Having recently seen "La Belle Equipe" in the version with the tacked-on happy ending, I've been hoping for a restored reissue of this classic. But I guess it's not going to come from RCV any time soon...

[htdm]

The Japanese DVD has both endings, but the only subtitle option is Japanese.

[Kinsayder]

Thanks, dmkb. I have the René Château Japanese edition, but hadn't noticed an option to play both endings (probably because my Japanese is non-existent). I shall have another look at the disc.

[Gordon]

Very interesting. Just the other day, I was searching the web for info on his 1935 Christ film, Golgotha, which was a very controversial film in its day - was it the first mainstream portrayal of Christ in the Sound Era? Gabin as Pilate? [Scooby Doo sound of confusion] Is the tone/style similar to Pasolini's film?

Anyway, this is very disappointing news, as it will no doubt delay DVDs of Duvivier films in the U.S. and UK.

[Kinsayder]

There is a French discussion thread with some more information about the case here:

http://www.dvdclassik.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19338&

It all looks horribly complicated, involving production companies going into liquidation without leaving proper records of ownership.

In the case of "La Belle Equipe", the main grievance of Christian Duvivier was that TV companies keep showing his father's film in the happy ending version. Apparently the only exisiting prints of the version with the tragic ending that Julien Duvivier preferred have German subtitles burnt in.

Whether all this is going to result in the contested films becoming available again is an interesting question, though the fact that René Château have been accusing Christian Duvivier of having "no desire to publish his father's work" doesn't sound too promising. But then again René Château themselves haven't been doing much with the films outside Japan. Duvivier's masterpiece "Poil de carotte" doesn't seem to have had a DVD release anywhere in all the time RC have owned it!

[htdm]

Very interesting. Just the other day, I was searching the web for info on his 1935 Christ film, Golgotha, which was a very controversial film in its day - was it the first mainstream portrayal of Christ in the Sound Era? Gabin as Pilate?

Yes, Gabin has a pretty serious bad hair day all throughout this film which was, coincidentally, released in Japan on DVD about 2 years ago (and VHS and Laser before that) and looks pretty damn good But again, French sound/Japanese subtitles only. If you are a Duvivier completist (and who isn't?) you can still pick it up at YesAsia. BTW Kinsayder, the '32 version of Poil de carotte did get a Laser release in Japan years ago, but it looks pretty ragged.

[Kinsayder]

There's a store (can't remember the damn name) one of three on Boul. St Germain which has a wall of RCV VHS titles for sale. You can't miss them, just up from Boul' Mich. If unsure go to the sales-fille (they're all filles) and ask "est-ce que vous avez une espace pour video-cassette ici?" See ya there in June! (BTW the dvdklassic forum looks good. I couldn't get to the home page - how do you register?)

David, my next Paris trip isn't till September. Make sure you leave a few Duvivier/Gremillon k7s for me!

I'm not registered with Dvdklassic, just an eavesdropper, but it appears to use the same engine as this forum. To register for posting, use the "S'enregistrer" link at the top of the page.

[HerrSchreck]

Looks like another year wearing down the wheels of Hen's Tooth Video (!)VHS of LE GOLEM which is one of the most beautifully photographed (give Alton a run for his money), directed, acted films about a monster with male pattern baldness. I love the way the rubber fingers overlap each other when the Golem breaks the bars of his cell at the end. And Harry Bauer's slovenly paranoiac emperor never ceases to entertain.

Sad that the only CC entry is PEPE (but god do I love that film... was high on that thing for months-- just beyond description. CHILDREN OF THE GODS is always being touted as the premeir example of Poetic Realism, but I'd say that for those classic sartorial asides where the film sorta Weeps With Sad Joy... moments of heightened sad beauty via the crescendoing music, photography, and narrative gloominess all coming together in those patently French self-referential moments, QUAI DE BRUMES & PEPE LE MOKO exemplify the style far more perfectly.

And I see heavy traces of Murnau & Sternberg in all of them.

[Kinsayder]

A couple of Duvivier DVDs from RC (including Poil de Carotte!) have just been pre-announced at FNAC.

Interesting timing, given the outcome of the recent case.

[Kinsayder]

I'm remaining optimistic until the links stop working. "Poil de carotte" is now also listed at Alapage for 14.99 Euros. Perhaps RC want to prove they're serious about doing something useful with the Duvivier titles they still own.

[db]

I have always thought Duvivier was the most underrated French director.On the imdb,I've written comments on his works than on any other director.

Hats off to Patrick Brion,who in the "cinema de minuit" on 3rd French channel ,has often showed his movies. BUT ......There are lots and lots of Duvivier's great films which remain unknown even to his greatest fans!

Is it acceptable that a masterpiece such "la fete à henriette" should never be broadcast when we're fed up with the nouvelle vague clique? And what about "au royaume des cieux"? Before 1986 -when Brion showed it on TV-"Voici le temps des assassins " was virtually unknown.NOw it is hailed as a peak of film noir.

I've been told "sous le ciel de Paris" was to be released on DVD pretty soon.But it's not enough!

[Kinsayder]

Underrated is the right word (though the Japanese seem to appreciate him, which may explain why they get the bulk of the DVD releases). There's a case for his critical reappraisal made on the Film Forum website, here.

Some good news: it looks like René Chateau are having a second attempt at "Sous le ciel de Paris", after the aborted May release.

Also, there is a R2 release of "La Bandera" announced, as part of a Gabin box set which also includes "Maria Chapdelaine"

[Knappen]

This thread has been dead for a while so I thought it would be about time to report about some new Duvivier releases.

French Warner/Edition Préstige has made the biggest contributions here with the trio Maria Chapdelaine, La Bandera and Boulevard. As you can see in the screen captures section these are fine, restored versions altough Maria Chapdelaine seems to have posed problems since some frames are rather bad. This is a no reason not to invest in a beautiful movie with Gabin in his first big apperance. Kinsayder reports that La Bandera is a "distinct improvement" on the R1. All three films seem to have french subs for hard of hearing so every person with a bit of french understanding and a dictionnary should be able to appreciate these gems. I am not sure if I would call Boulevard a gem but fans of Jean-Pierre Léaud will have a treat. Our major Duvivier specialist Didier Dumonteil on the imdb gives this film an enthousiastic commentary.

The argument seems to have settled between René Chateau and Duvivier fils because Sous le ciel de Paris has been reported seen in french Mk2 stores. I ordered a copy from Alapage some weeks ago and got a mail yesterday saying I would have to wait some longer than expected. This is probably due to RCs clumsy distribution. Their transfers seem to be of progressive quality though, and with very reasonable prices (normally ranging from 10-15€) this is one to pick up.



Last but not least two of Duvivier's american films, The imposter (Gabin's only "english"-speaking role along with Moontide) and Flesh and fantasy are coming out in february from french Universal. The latter seems to be the one with the best reputation and is representative of Duvivier's speciality: the episodic film. For 9,99€ on amazon.fr I am definitely pre-ordering these ones.

The asian market is rather unknown to me but according to the fnac, major films from Duvivier are available though rather costy if you are buying them from their shop.

[Kinsayder]

Golgotha has also been pre-announced. Still no sign, though, of Golem, Charrette Fantome or Panique. I'm particularly puzzled as to why Panique has never had a release (unless it's those pesky "héritiers" again!). It's one of the best French noirs of its time, darker, sharper and more misanthropic than Patrice Leconte's rather languid remake.

[Knappen]

Panique is certainly a major film both from Duvivier and Michel Simon and it has one of the greatest endings in screen history.

Oh, I forgot to ask: La tête d'un homme has been announced for years on play.com. Does anyone know if this is a release that was abolished long ago?
And can somebody please tell me what part Duvivier played in the 1938 version of Marie Antoinette?

[mario gauci]

I recently watched Duvivier's obscure LA CHAMBRE ARDENTE aka THE BURNING COURT (1962) in a dubbed version on Italian TV. I'd rate it *** out of **** and, for what it's worth, here's my take on it:

Another "victim" of the French Nouvelle Vague - a distinguished film director who found himself unceremoniously falling out of fashion within critical circles - was undoubtedly Julien Duvivier. Admittedly, his best work was behind him by then in such classic films like PEPE LE MOKO' (1937), UN CARNET DE BAL (1937; one of Michael Caine's favorite films!) and PANIQUE (1947; a rumored upcoming Criterion DVD release) but, if this obscure but richly rewarding suspenser is any indication, his cinematic and narrative skills did not desert him with age.

Apparently, the original source novel by John Dickson Carr is a celebrated (and much more sophisticated) literary piece but even if this film adaptation (by renowned screenwriter Charles Spaak) constitutes an oversimplification, one cannot deny the fact that it is highly polished entertainment nevertheless. The plot ingeniously combines two prolific subgenres in the horror film lexicon, "the old dark house" and "the witch's curse", dealing as it does with an 18th Century witch being deceived by her lover - a policeman dressed as a monk! - thereby unleashing a vengeful curse on his ancestors which decrees that every subsequent head of the family dies a violent death. This event is not depicted in the film but merely referred to throughout and we immediately jump into the present with a female ancestor of the witch - played by the beautiful Edith Scob from Georges Franju's EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1959), here with her hair bleached blonde - being invited with her novelist husband to a château in the country which, as it happens, is owned by the ancestors of the witch's duplicitous lover. The latter are a despicable bunch of amoral opportunists with the two young heirs greedily awaiting the demise of their cantankerous 75-year old uncle which could occur at any moment. One night, every member of the household (including his nurse) desert the old man for their own egotistical purposes and Scob and her husband volunteer to stay home and watch over him themselves...

Apart from the illustrious trio in the behind-the-camera personnel (Duvivier, Spaak and music composer Georges Auric), the film boasts atmospheric lighting by Roger Fellous and a cast of willing performers: the afore-mentioned Scob, Jean-Claude Brialy (as the more level-headed of the two heirs), Claude Rich (as his worthless playboy brother), Nadja Tiller (as the lovely nurse who, ultimately, is not as loyal as she makes out to be), etc. There are elements of the supernatural (when the murderer is seen passing through the walls of a closed room by the housekeeper or when the body vanishes from the interred coffin and reappears sitting in a chair in the family chapel) and black comedy (when the mourners at the funeral waltz around the still open coffin at the deceased's own request) involved which only serve to add to the great fun. It would be a mistake to reveal more of the twists and turns the plot takes in the second half of the film - which also introduces the character of a no-nonsense police inspector - but I'll say only that it all ends rather too abruptly perhaps (immediately after the ironic final revelation) leaving the fate of some of the major characters pretty much unresolved.

[Kinsayder]

I'd forgotten how staggeringly good La Tete d'un homme is until Dave's comments prompted me to rewatch it. This is pure Duvivian pessimism: doomed men tracing circles of destruction around each other while Harry Baur looks on, unable to prove what he already knows.

Dave has already mentioned the striking use of rear projection in one scene. Another extraordinary sequence is the discovery of the body, beginning with a Murnau-esque shot of Heurtin's hand reaching for the door.



When he enters the victim's room, it appears to be brightly lit, yet Heurtin is stumbling and groping.



Also, his shoes are leaving distinct imprints on the wooden floor which he seems to be unaware of.



Is he blind? It takes a moment to realise that Duvivier is allowing us to see what Heurtin can't, so when he reaches across the bed to where he thinks the money is, we see the corpse a moment before he bumps into it and knocks it on the floor. There is no music in this sequence, but the relevation of the body is accompanied by the sound of a dog howling in the distance. There is then a huge close-up of Heurtin's staring, horrified face...



and a further surprise: what he is staring at (he has now flicked a light switch) is not the corpse but a door slowing opening to reveal a sinister gloved hand:



...the entry of Radek, the film's magnificent villain.

Another great sequence is Radek's evasion of Heurtin by creating a scene in the café, a moment reminiscent of Hitchcock. Of course, a difference between Hitchcock and Duvivier is that Hitchcock's heroes are usually innocent men wrongly accused whereas Duvivier's protagonists are often guilty and deserving of their fate. Even Gabin in La Belle équipe deserves what happens in the "pessimist ending" because he breaks the code of honour between friends by sleeping with his pal's girl.

[Knappen]

Valéry Inkijinoff may have been in Lang's film 25 years later, but Duvivier must have discovered him in Pudovkin's Storm over Asia (1928):

[Kinsayder]

I haven't read Nemirovsky's novel either, though Duvivier's biographer Eric Bonnefille remarks that Duvivier constructed his screenplay with great fidelity to the story and spirit of her book. I do not feel that the tone of the film is specifically anti-semitic but rather one of cold cynicism towards all human relationships, particularly where money is involved. It's the women who come off worst. Golder's wife is an appalling creation: she is happy for him to be alive and earning money, or dead and bequeathing it, but the thought of him living as a convalescent without income is intolerable to her. His "daughter" Joyce is little better: she is a prototype of those seductive vampire-women who trouble so many of Duvivier's protagonists.

Baur is magnificent in a portrait of a powerful man who is gradually cast adrift from his sources of power and identity - his friends, his health, his family, his money - and then literally cast adrift, in that wonderful final scene on a fogbound steamer as Golder expires in his cabin while Duvivier layers the soundtrack with a Jewish chant (a reminder of Golder's roots, which he has also abandoned) and a mournful foghorn (the same sound that was used at the start of the film to symbolise the industry which was the source of Golder's wealth). For a first talkie it shows a remarkably accomplished use of the medium.

[Knappen]

I just passed by the library and picked up David Golder - Roman. Le livre moderne illustré. J. Ferenczi & fils à Paris. Bois originaux en couleurs de Pierre Dubreuil. Prix : Trois francs cinquante. 1931.

Will report when I have had the time to read this and rewatch the film.

There is a good site dedicated to Némirovsky.

Did anyone else notice the "bressonian" walking sequence in the middle of the film?



So I did some research on this film for Uncle David and the other friends of Duvivier out there.

Actually, it is a tad strange that more people should have seen the film than read the novel on this forum, as Duvivier's film is virtually impossible to find while the book is available in the Cahiers rouges series and probably easy to situate in most serious libraries around the world since it was a best seller in France around 1930..

The producers Vandal and Delac wanted to cash in on Némirovsky's success and confined the project of adapting David Golder to the screen to Duvivier who thus got his first take on the talkies. In early 1930 he had said to the Mon Ciné magazine: « Le parlant constitue quelque chose de véritablement extraordinaire, un art nouveau, sensationnel et dont les résultat seront stupéfiants d'ici deux ans ». These were indeed true words, for he would certainly find in the talking pictures an artistic transformation (that said I do not know his silent films except Au bonheur des dames).

Actually, the film had to compete with another talking medium: the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin was putting on an adaptation of David Golder with the same actors as in the film. It is not clear if this was a curious incident or not. What is clear is that the critics and the public preferred the film, which was a big hit and secured Duvivier's position after some flops.

As it has been pointed out, this is a faithful adaptation of Némirovsky's book. But it is in no way a direct transfer of the latter, although the bleak atmosphere is certainly maintained. Let's take the beginning: a very cinematic montage presenting aspects of the business world and people gossiping about Golder's moral character.



The novel opens with a long dialogue between the associates Golder and Marcus (their company is named GolMar). This dialogue and the consequences of Golder's betrayal of his old friend is to a certain degree the frame for the whole novel while it is merely a fragment in the film. In the book Golder is more or less haunted by Marcus' suicide, although he tries to suppress this: «Remords? Je ne regretted rien». In the novel, Marcus does not shoot himself in public but in a brothel surrounded by 13- and 14-year old girls (a bit too naughty for the screen at the time). Also, the theme of the lecher-wife is presented in the following when David visits the widow who has already broken up all her husbands remains to find what is left of value. Women in this book exist only to exploit and push their money-making jewish husbands who seem to have no reason to exist but the continuation and expansion of the family capital.

The idea of Irène Némirovsky as a self hating jew isn't modified with her characterisations of the mentality shared by most characters. Soifer, the prototype of the money obsessed jew, who is by the way introduced much earlier in the film to present some important themes, has avoided the lecherous relatives like the Golders but is no more happy than his friend: « Plus tard Soifer devait mourir seul, comme un chien, sans un ami, sans une couronne de fleurs sur sa tombe, enterré dans le cimetière le meilleur marché de Paris, par sa famille qui le haïssait, et qu'il avait haï, à qui il laissait pourtant une fortune de plus de trente millons, accomplissant ainsi jusqu'au bout, l'incompréhensible destion de tout bon Juif sur cette terre ».

I think Duvivier has toned down the anti-Semitic elements of the novel: you don't find anything to relate to phrases like the preceding in the film. Soifer seems more like a tragic figure than a “sale Juifâ€

[Kinsayder]

There was also a UK adaptation of the novel, My Daughter Joy (1950), directed by Gregory Ratoff, with Edward G. Robinson in the Harry Baur role. From the IMDb comment that it "seems like a fairly happy movie", I think we can assume that it is not entirely faithful to Nemirovsky.

Does anyone have a version running longer than 77 minutes out there ?

I appear to have a different bootleg, but it also runs at 77 mins. Even allowing for PAL speedup, this is falling short of the 86 mins that is usually quoted for this film.

[Scharphedin2]

When looking on the internet for information for the Duvivier filmmaker thread, I came across two R1 releases for which I could find almost no information.

The first is The Burning Court (1962). It is listed for sale by Movies Unlimited, but there is no information concerning the studio releasing the film.

The other is Diabolically Yours (1967), which has been released by an outfit called Telavista.

Does anyone own either of these titles and have any comments?

[Kinsayder]

I haven't seen The Burning Court (La Chambre ardente). Diaboliquement vôtre (his last film) is a psychological thriller and a starring vehicle for Alain Delon. His character wakes from a coma to find himself with a wife and a house he didn't know he had. Is he suffering from amnesia or is there something more sinister afoot? There are some familiar Duvivier themes - the dangerous seductress (Senta Berger), the hero's isolation, the sense of entrapment and encroaching danger - but the treatment feels superficial and underpowered. Berger, a poor actress, is one of Duvivier's least interesting femmes fatales. Delon was unhappy with the result. Duvivier died before he could give his own opinion.

The Telavista R1 (hideous artwork!) appears to be dubbed and cropped (1.33). There's a very good anamorphic (1.66) edition by Studio Canal (France R2), part of their Alain Delon collection. It includes a frank, almost apologetic, interview with Duvivier's co-writer Jean Bolvary. No subs.

[Knappen]

Mario Gauci has already made a comment on La chambre ardente on this thread. I have nothing to add to his contribution but to say that the film doesn't feel very much like a movie by Julien Duvivier.
It's not at all a bad film, though. But to me it seems it was no longer possible for Duvivier to make films suited to his style after, let's say Marie-Octobre or even Pot-Bouille. Carné seems to have had the same problem since Thérèse Requin.
I have both the english and the french versions of Chambre, but only boots.