La poison

One is perfectly justified to see this as social satire, but for me Guthry's "La poison" (1951) is, above all, an easygoing, darkly humorous and witty pastiche on acting in all its forms – taking on roles in marriage, in society, in one's own eyes, in others' eyes, and of course, in a film. The opening introductory credit sequence sets the mood perfectly, as there we are explicitly shown that we will witness a performance that has been carefully planned, all actors, actresses and staff selected. I don't think this is just a stylistic whim of exuberance, it's an actual set-up for us. There are several references to theatre with exits and entrances through doors, and space is handled with confines, scenes as separate entities, spaces as separate entities. And then there's the central scene in the lawyer's office, where they literally create a fabrication that when inverted becomes the desired reality for Simon's character. Reconstruction, deconstruction, all of this means the same in this wonderful scene.

The chimera and the clown, death and joy – that's what the film is also about. This contrast of tragedy and comedy, its light-hearted darkness, presents itself also in the title, playing with the meaning of poison ("le poison" in French, with the masculine article) and the mocking identifier "la poison" (with the feminine article) given to… well, by all means watch the film and you'll find out.

Several years ago, I saw and enjoyed "A Crime in Paradise". However, I knew it was a remake and wanted to see the original. I was thrilled when the Criterion Channel added it recently...and it turned out to be every bit as good as the remake...perhaps a bit better.

The beginning of the movie is most unusual. The writer and director, Sacha Guitry, introduces the cast and crew...and has a short thank you speech for every one of them!

When the story begins, Paul Braconnier (Michel Simon) is complaining to the priest about his ugly wife. She drinks constantly and is a loathsome person...and he's sick of her. Later, Paul listens to a talk show on the radio and a very successful defense attorney is talking about his career defending murderers. Paul likes what the guy says and realizes that this attorney should defend him...when he actually gets around to murdering his wife!

Soon, Paul shows up at the attorney's office and tells her he's just killed his wife. The fact is, Paul hasn't yet done it...he just wants to figure out how best to do it in order to be acquitted in court! Well, the lawyer doesn't know that and inadvertently helps Paul formulate the murder!

Paul goes home and plans on killing his wife. What he doesn't know is that she is also planning on poisoning him...and he ends up killing her before he drinks the poison she's given him! Soon, he's in court...and all his neighbors come to speak on his behalf...because apparently, they also couldn't stand her! So what comes of all this? See the film.

This is a super dark comedy...so much so that I am certain many won't enjoy it or will find it a bit unseemly. I thought it was of course dark, but also funny and clever....and well worth seeing. Well crafted and worth your time.

This is a minor masterpiece. It is Guitry at his most cynical - and that's saying a great deal. Michel Simon's wife, presented as a perpetual drunk, has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The fact that she buys rat poison to do away with her husband, who appears to have no grievous faults, doesn't help her case any. Michel Simon delivers a truly first-rate performance as the husband. You don't feel that he's justified in killing his wife, but you certainly don't feel any regret that he does. Guitry's script, which treats husband-wife relations as a joke to be ridiculed, is delightful in an extremely cynical way. Misanthropy at its finest - whatever that may be.

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I watched this movie again tonight, and I marveled - and laughed - at the cynical genius of so much of it. The script is often brilliant, yes, but it is Michel Simon who makes it all work. His every scene is wonderful, but the scene with the lawyer after he has killed his wife, and then the trial scene, are devastatingly marvelous. This is a movie that could have great success as an American remake, updated - but who now could play the Michel Simon part?

If you can deal with so realistic and cynical a view of human nature, you owe it to yourself to see this masterpiece. You may think you're cynical, but you will realize you have nothing on Sacha Guitry when it comes to cynicism.

Guitry could never get over the way he was treated after the Liberation;his "De Jeanne D'Arc A Petain"(1942) (see this title which is never screened on French TV) was not exactly a work longing for freedom and the fact that he was given coal for his town house by the occupying forces led him to a (brief) internment.

Some of his post-war works are bitter,even cynical and made French justice an object of ridicule .If Guitry had been a mediocre director/writer ,his latter days works could have sunk into oblivion ,the work of an aging embittered old duffer ;but Guitry was a master ,with wit ,humor and (yes) genius going for him .At the time,only Henri Jeanson could write as well as he did .

"la Poison" begins with a presentation of all the people who made the movie (proof positive that Guitry was neither self-centered nor ungrateful) ;it was not the first time he had done this ,but this time ,he speaks with the actors,the technicians ,the script girl and it lasts about five minutes .Guitry was the one director in France to show such respect for his collaborators.

It was the first time he had directed Michel Simon ,who is another genius ,one of our five best actors ever .They would team up again in another Guitry's masterpiece ,"La Vie D'Un Honnête Homme " -for the record ,Louis De Funès ,who has a small role in "Poison" ,is in that movie too-If they would redo (God preserve us!) ,I really wonder WHO could reprise this part.Simon is so subtle an actor he is able to show all the tragic side of his character ;the scenes when he eats his dinner with his missus ,an alcoholic shrew, with the radio on so they do not have to talk are sheer genius .

Even the scenes which would seem at first out of place are necessary : the villagers waiting for a miracle,asking the vicar for help ("I can only pray ";and God heard him and took heed of it)At the time , the vicar ,with his servant (La Bonne Du Curé) played a prominent part and he was the local shrink ;Simon visits him before consulting a lawyer.

All the scenes featuring the lawyer are Guitry at his very best ;if you are sick and tired of those movies in which the brilliant lawyer always wins ,"La Poison" was made for you.Reductio Ad Absurdum that justice is unfair and that if you want to be acquitted ,you need a piece of advice from the man of law before you act .As if it were not enough,the children have their own trial too.

Guitry's hatred for justice is even more glaring in his overlooked "Assassins Et Voleurs" .People who liked "La Poison" must see it too.

The everyday life of Paul Braconnier (played by the famous Michel Simon) and his wife Blandine (Germaine Reuver) is far from what one would describe as a marital bliss. Paul Braconnier reproaches her that she's old and ugly and that she drinks too much. They hate each other as much as they possibly can - to the point that they want to murder each other. One day, Paul Braconnier hears about the champion lawyer Maitre Aubanel (played by Jean Debucourt) who just won his 100th case. Paul decided to promptly visit him to know how he can kill his wife without going to jail. Delighted to hear that murder without consequences is possible, he decides to stab his wife when she is about to poison him. With a lawyer like Aubanel, he is certain to get away with his crime. What follows is probably the funniest trial sequence in film history.

'La poison' is the funniest movie that Sacha Guitry made after WWII. As always in the work of Sacha Guitry, this story is a satire of marriage. This black comedy is delightful due to the performance of Michel Simon (once more!) in this role of a colorful rogue and to the high standard comical writing of Sacha Guitry. The name of the main character (Braconnier, which is the French word for poacher) was not chosen randomly: it is a description of the attitude that the main character has throughout the movie, i.e. that of a character behaving against the law. The tone of the movie is definitively anarchist and the character played by Michel Simon is not far from that of Boudu (another great performance by Michel Simon in 'Boudu sauve des eaux by Jean Renoir, 1932).

Guitry adds to our pleasure by introducing the complete credited cast during the opening sequence (much alike Orson Welles introducing his actors in the movie Othello and in the trailer of Citizen Kane) congratulating Michel Simon for his acting. Louis de Funes (at this time not as popular as he would be more than a decade later) can be seen in a small role. Pauline Carton (who played in most of Sacha Guitry movies) is present as well.

This movie is a gem. Highly recommended. 10/10.