La sorcière

André Michel esssentially worked for TV ,notably in the miniseries "Les Thibault " based on Roger Martin Du Gard 's nobelized novel (he directed the first three episodes).

His few theatrically released works sunk in total oblivion in France ;his version of "sans famille" is undistinguished .And although three famous French actors (Maurice Ronet,Marina Vlady,Nicole Courcel)are in it, it remains unsung in its native land.

Although based on a Russian novel (Vlady herself was of Russian descent),Aino is closer to Georges Sand 's little savage of "La Petite Fadette "; the scene in which Laurent gets lost in the forest seems to be taken out of this novel. It's very hard to believe she is a witch ,it does not smack of heresy and the denouement is rather implausible: perhaps in the Russian novelist's life and times ,it made sense in a holier-than-thou stifled atmosphere .The depiction of the inhabitants' life is too skimmed over to be convincing.

If you take Aino for what she appears in the film, an outcast ,a pariah , then you can appreciate her scenes with Laurent ,notably in the city when she tries shoes on and savors an ice cream; his rebellion against the bourgeois society represented by business woman Kristina who took the engineer's love for granted. Marina Vlady is ideally cast as long-haired blond mysterious girl (she's more a fairy than she is a witch !)who gracefully haunts the woods (recalling another forgotten movie "la cage "(1963)); Laurent helping her break through the language barrier is touching indeed. Her refusal ,because she knows she's not like the other girls ,when he proposes to her.

In spite of the expressed reservations, "la sorcière" should bee more known in its country.

In the summer of 1957, I went to an afternoon movie in Washington, DC to kill some time. It played, but I didn't get up from my seat. It played again, after which I ran to the lobby and telephoned a friend stationed about twenty miles away. I told him he had to drop everything and come to this theater, where I would be watching the most amazing film I had ever seen. He came. He liked the movie, but honestly didn't want to sit through it again (though I was willing.)

The story goes on for a half century. I saw the film several times in the next 10 years, usually at art theaters and once on TV. All of my friends knew of my obsession and in about 1980 one woman in my office actually located a print of the movie. I arranged to have it converted to a VHS tape (at some substantial cost) and make a point of watching it every year or so.

Furthermore, over the years I had memorized every scene, every note of the score and just about all the dialogue (in several languages!). With the advancement of the Internet, eventually I was able to tell my story directly to Marina Vlady through a letter to her agent in France. I must say she did reply, but only with a sort-of generic postcard.

If you remember this film - whoever you are out there - recall her running through the forest after the fawns, then falling to the ground and disappearing at the bitter end . . . her reflected image in the dark lake . . .poling her boat to the cabin in the lake . . stealing the sausage! And how about the trip to town for the shoes!?

To die for.

The movie is based on the novel "Olesya" (1898) by the Russian writer Aleksandr Kuprin and the story originally takes place in Southern Russia. Also, the leading role is played by the French actress of the Russian origin, Marina Vladimirovna (hence Marina Vladi as her screen name) Polyakova-Baidarova. Obviously, Russian literature could be a good source of dramatic material for the movie-making industry. And paradoxically, it is probably the most valuable resource (more valuable than oil or even gold) that could be obtained for free. It is free of copyright restrictions (for the most part) and is easy to find on the Internet.

When I ran a film society in the 1960's this was one of our most popular shows. The film is very romantic and beautifully photographed. The atmosphere is elegiac and reminded me of the style of Les Amants. The Musical score is exceptionally tuneful and I can still remember the main theme 40 years later- it has just stuck in my mind! The female lead; Marina Vlady is very beautiful and enigmatic and the tragedy of her rejection and persecution as a witch by a village community in modern France seemed to me original and moving. It is a film about bigotry and intolerance presented with great power and poetry. I am amazed that it seems to have disappeared. I am sure that modern audiences would enjoy it if it reappeared on TV or on DVD.

Finally available on DVD, "The Blonde Witch" used to appear on television under its original title "The Sorceress" ("La Sorciere," a French-Italian co-production), where it must have been dubbed into English, though now seen only with subtitles (despite the various titles, it has no horror content whatsoever). Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater had a 20 year run airing double features of the classic Universal horrors, '50s cheapies, and more recent Hammer titles, introducing Paul Naschy to an American audience in the late '70s. Yet there was one season, 1969-70, where the show departed from its usual format to present a non horror feature up front, followed by a more conventional genre item. "The Sorceress" (1956) appeared on Nov 1 1969, preceded by another foreign title, Sophia Loren's famous "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" (1963), which must have disappointed monster loving kids but would surely warm the hearts of every red blooded American male watching. Maurice Ronet stars as a French engineer who journeys to Sweden to supervise the building of a road, and learns that his new boss is a beautiful widow (25 year old Nicole Courcel) with a small son. He is quick to notice her attractive legs during dinner one night, and she begins to think about him romantically. Just then, he stumbles upon a lovely innocent in the woods (17 year old Marina Vlady), whom the superstitious locals believe is an evil witch, raised alone by her grandmother in a remote cabin deep in the swamp. The girl is literally one with nature, and soon reveals that she does indeed possess magical powers, but is full of warmth and joy, never using them to do harm. It doesn't take long for curiosity to blossom into love, but their future remains in doubt, as even the workers begin to shun their new foreman. For such a rich and wistful storyline, I couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed by the ending, which seemed a bit too conventional; clearly a film where the viewer should watch and judge for themselves, it has left its mark ever since its initial release (were it not for its presence on Chiller Theater, I would never have found it).