El africano

De Broca's movies are always very rhythmic, full of fantasy, adventure and humor. Just great fun, and you should never miss the occasion to enjoy one his works! Just to name a few you should not miss : "That man from Rio", "Cartouche", "Chinese adventures in China", "The man from Acapulco" without forgeting the excellent "The devil by the tail". The African is no exception and offers great entertainment. Philippe Noiret is very convincing in his role as a grumpy and aging freedom-loving adventurer. Catherine Deneuve was a less good cast in my opinion, but overall the couple held out. The shots of the African savannah and its herds of elephants filmed from the air are absolutely stunning. The film is also an indictment for the protection of the environment and animals at a time when the theme was not as mainstream as today. The condemnation of greedy poachers is final and the love of nature and wilderness is evident in every plan. A beautiful film that deserves to be seen in its restored version.

'L'africain' is a film that had all the premises of a great success. It was released in 1983 as a kind of French cinema industry's response to the trend of action films set in exotic locations generated by the enormous success of 'Indiana Jones'. The producer was Claude Berri, an experienced and very talented filmmaker himself. The director, Philippe de Broca, already had two decades of experience in adventure films and Steven Spielberg himself declared his admiration for him and admitted that he had been inspired by his films. The lead roles were played by Philippe Noiret (after Jean-Paul Belmondo had turned down the role), who two years earlier had played another European role in Africa in Bertrand Tavernier's excellent 'Coup de torchon', and Catherine Deneuve, who also already had exotic adventure roles in her repertoire (and would add others later in her career). Finally, the author of the story was Gérard Brach, one of the most inspired French screenwriters of those times. And yet, the film failed to become a huge success. The restored version seemed a bit tired to me at over 40 years after its release, and the impression I was left with is that each of the excellent filmmakers and actors who participated in its creation gave this film a little less than I expected from them.

Charlotte and Victor are a married and separated couple, in no hurry to sign the divorce papers. She works for Club Med and has the idea of building a hotel in the heart of Africa, for lovers of geographical isolation, exotic adventures with animals and contacts with indigenous populations and cultures. Victor has lived in that very part of the world for many years, is a kind of local entrepreneur, pilot of a small plane with which he flies over the savannahs, jungles and deserts, well integrated into local life, including through a relationship with a young woman who sings the blues like in New Orleans. The plans in Paris do not match the realities of Africa. Charlotte's initiative is met with corruption and opposition from the locals, as well as by the poachers who illegally kill elephants and traffic in ivory. After trying in vain to convince her to give up her plans, Victor will find himself with Charlotte in an adventure from which their relationship could be renewed.

What did I like? First of all, the cinematography by Jean Penzer, who passionately and talentedly films the landscapes of a Africa that has since shrunk in size and diversity, and the aerial acrobatics of the plane piloted by the film's hero. Everything is accompanied by the very appropriate music by Georges Delerue. I can only like Philippe Noiret and Catherine Deneuve, both of them put their comedic talents into action in good spirit, although the interaction between the two seems to lack magnetism. I liked the script less. I don't judge it by today's standards, I think the 'colonial' feel with the white characters in the center and the rest in the background is intended to be parodic and caricatured. The adventures the heroes go through, however, never managed to captivate me or make me worry about their fate. 'L'africain' is a film full of reverences for well-known cinematic creations in the genre of exotic adventures or dramas set in Africa, but it doesn't find the necessary balance between action and romance, between comedy, ecological concerns and political allusions, which could have made of it a memorable African cinematic adventure.

Philippe de Broca was a filmmaker known for his lavish adventure films, from "Cartouche", to "Le magnifique". His 1983 film, "l'Africain", is also one such movie, but fails to amaze, due to its weak plot and script.

"L'Africain's" story revolves around a travel agent (Catherine Deneuve), who goes to Africa hoping to relax after months of stressful work in France. There, she meets her husband (Philippe Noiret), and the two decide to protect the local elephant populations from the poachers with the help of a British conservationist (Jacques François).

Released the same year as another film recounting the antics of a travel agent, the comedy "Banzaï", with Coluche, "l'Africain" offers a resoundingly different view to the same profession. Deneuve's character is always stressed, but respects the natives in the places she visits. She is a universalist, believing that everyone should protect the animals, so for her, discriminations don't help in accomplishing her goal. Coluche, on the other hand, interpreted his travel agent hero with brashness and a bit of vulgarity, him being a racist traditional Frenchman who hates communicating with strangers. Since his only goal is to get married, he has no moral obligation to respect anyone, and so he doesn't.

Interesting to note is the historical setting in which de Broca's film was released. In 1983, the environmentalist movement had resurged, and "l'Africain" could be interpreted as one of many works with environmentalistic character that were released in France that and the next year. There was even an animated series, "Bibifoc", showing the adventures of a young seal and its two human friends, who were fighting the evil hunters in the Antarctica. If "Bibifoc" made many empathize with the seals' cruel fate, then "l'Africain" tried to convince people to do so for the elephants' one. That it didn't succeed owes more to its weaknesses movie-wise.

First of all, the direction is extremely slow-paced, with de Broca spending most of the film showing the viewers the reunion of Deneuve and Noiret. When the last sequence arrives, where the real action takes place, the viewers have lost their interest for the film, and - in my case, at least - pay no attention to what happens.

When the performances are concerned, they were disappointing. Deneuve and Noiret don't make for a convincing couple, and their scenes together seem extremely artificial. Jacques François is quite embarrassing to watch when playing a British man, since he employs the all-too-common in French films technique of speaking French with a heavy (fake) British accent. His confrontation with the couple is generally very toned-down and doesn't hold one's interest for long.

Whilst the cinematography is satisfactory, emphasizing the wonderful landscape of Africa, its combination with such weak plot and acting don't do it any justice.

All in all, "L'Africain" is a film with an admirable concept, that is badly-executed and thus loses all of its charm. Instead of sitting through it, I would suggest taking a look at the other French environmentalist classic, "Bibifoc", which, for all its innocence and childishness, still retains some degree of sweetness.

And, of course, one of the catchiest credits of a French series;

Bibi- Bibi - Bibi- Bibifoc,

Dans l'Antarctique, t'es roi des phoques...