Fanfan, der Husar

Okay, perhaps not, but it certainly is a very good adventure-comedy! One of the best of its kind. It has everything: romance, swordfights, abductions, witty bantering between characters, sly remarks about war. And it can boast of inspired casting, with Gérard Philipe at his romantic peak, all handsome and dashing, with soulful eyes, sensitive features, and a beautiful, velvety speaking voice. A very young Gina Lollobrigida was never more alluring, and the stupid villain, the amorous king Louis, and the slimy royal valet Lébel are all great character actors. In fact there's never a dull moment in this gem of a French film! And didn't it win the main prize at Cannes?

Fanfan la Tulipe is a 'swashbuckler, romantic comedy' set during the French revolution. Filmed in 1952, the film was a great success in French cinema which then coined the years of swashbuckler classics. The film revolves around a central character 'Fanfan la Tulipe' who has himself a reputation, not just for being a noisy and boastful swordsman (a swashbuckler) but the audience also gets the impression very early on in the film that he is somewhat of a hit with the ladies. This is then emphasised a couple of minutes into the film, when he alludes himself into thinking that he will marry the King's daughter. Fanfan la Tulipe is a very liberal character who rarely abides by the rule of others, and instead chooses to do his own thing.

The film commences with a narrative like style, which is carried on throughout the film. The main narration happens at the beginning and at the end of the film, but occasionally in the middle of the film we hear the narration once again, sometimes helping the viewer to tell what is going on, and directing the view to certain objects in the scene. In a way it summarises what is going to happen in the next part of the film.

The film does not leave any long lasting impression on one's mind after you have seen it, but all in all it is a very easy film to watch. The not so subtle wit from nearly all the characters, and the unperturbed nature of Fanfan La Tulipe (even in the most difficult of situations) help to make this film the unchallenging piece of cinema that it is.

Having said that, albeit an easy film to watch, it is an important film of its time, and also a great source of amusement.

Fan-Fan (Gérard Philipe) is a bit of a rogue and lived during the time of the Seven Years' War (in America, it's known at "The French-Indian War" but only refers to the fighting on our continent). I loved the prologue that sarcastically talked about how wonderful war and death were! Well, in the midst of this long blood-bath (that took about a million lives), Fan-Fan joins the army in order to avoid being forced to marry a girl his despoiled (and you would assume that he's done this before). The idea of doing this came from a very sexy lady (Gina Lollabrigida) who pretended to read his fortune and she actually was the one who suggested he enlist. The rest of the film consists of Fan-Fan nearly being hung or stabbed and surviving only with his good looks, sense of adventure and athleticism.

I am a huge fan of French cinema and I really wanted to love this film. However, after a while I realized that the film, while watchable, was something of a disappointment. That's because this is a case where Hollywood actually did this sort of film better. Now this is NOT to say they always did it better, but around 1952 Burt Lancaster was making similar films ("The Flame and the Arrow" and "The Crimson Pirate") dandy films that were very similar to "Fan-Fan" and were also better. Why? Well, while "Fan Fan" was athletic and charismatic, Lancaster was perfect for such roles--with an even greater level of athleticism and sex appeal. And, while it's not THAT important, Lancaster's films were in color and had better production values. Compared side by side, "Fan Fan" is just a bit flat.

While today I would clearly choose to watch the average French film over the average Hollywood product, back in the 40s and 50s, Hollywood did actually seem to often get things right.

The superb star quality of Gerard Philipe, who died way too young, leaps from the screen in this witty, funny, sly swashbuckling comedy with plenty of sword fencing and knockabout antics. Charmingly loopy in its' storytelling, impossible to resist. A sweet romantic comedy with a very young Gina Lollobrigida as the love interest. A movie one will remember with great affection.

one of films who remains the perfect vehicle to the golden age of every viewer. because the innocence, the humor, the good intentions and the nice fight scenes are crumbs from a period when the dream, the adventure and the comedy are more than pieces of commercial system. because the portrait of Louis XV is irresistible and Gerard Philippe does a more than good job. so, a film for remind. old fashion recipes of romanticism. history in amusing manner. desire inspired by a fortune teller in its childish side. the good friend with a lot of children and good wife . the way to impose an easy military victory. a young woman in search of her true love.all - presented in lovely manner. a film for each member of family. and, of course, evergreen.