Jacquou le croquant

First, you enjoy cinematography. Second, the performances of Dora Doll, Tcheky Karyo, Olivier Gourmet and Gaspard Ulliel. It is just one of many historical French films about young heroes , their revenge story, their love adventure. For the fans of genre, a delight. For the other, a comfortable, beautiful film and romantism in large doses. So, correct and fair are the good definitions for this adventures film , seductive scene by scene .

Excellent story, narrated in a strong raw sentimental way. With great performing from everyone in the cast as well as every cinematographic aspect. Photography, more than beautiful. Even though the picture is quite long, it didn't turned me off one second. It made me feel sad and happy, it made me cry, it made me wish hope for the character "Jacquou". It gave me weird/good deep feelings,(whatever that means). It is also impossible not to fall in love with the petite Jaquou and Lina and their performances.

Laurent Boutonnat did and excellent film that entertains and enchants. As usual, you couldn't expect less from French Cinema.

Don't miss it!

I had the memory of a "Jacquou Le Croquant", hero of a TV mini-series of my childhood, who had lost his parents by the fault of an aristocrat and more generally because of the post-Napoleonean social classes system, and who came to a revenge by leading a revolt especially against that social system and against the man which incarnates the cause of the tragedy of his family. On the basis of that, one expects to see a social fresco full of various emotions that goes along with the rich History of France of that period: tragedy, love, revenge, popular revolt (revolution against the established order), freedom seeking, and other great emotions which accompany this kind of epic stories… But it is not the case.

The narration is too slow and really insipid. The actors are just as pale as the story and its rhythm. What a waist for such a beautifully photographed picture! If one can afford to see Laurent Boutonnat's version of "Jacquou" is solely because it's good-looking at. Costumes and the decoration are really really superb! The director definitely is a good director of photography, and even a good soundtrack composer but certainly not a storyteller, definitely not a director.

Eugene Le Roy's book has become a classic .It was transferred to the screen as (very good)TV miniseries by Stellio Lorenzi in the late sixties.

Jaquou's story was told in the first person by a very old man (Jaquou) who remembered all his trials.It was told with a great simplicity .One remembers the first chapter (Christmas night) when the child and his mother attend the service in an icy church ,then watch the food intended for the nobles ."There's nothing good in here" the mom says ,when they come back home.This scene is completely botched in the film.

Boutonnat butchered "Jaquou Le Croquant".I dare anyone who has read the book to like it.Taking liberties with Eugene Leroy ,the movie turns the oubliettes scene (one page or two) into a horror sequence where Jaquou escapes without any help (Le Roy never wrote such nonsense).The long conversations between the priest and the freethinker knight are reduced to the minimum,which is a shame for Olivier Gourmet ,Tcheky Karyo and veteran Dora Doll (she was already there in the French forties)as Fantille give the best performances of the movie.

In the last thirty minutes,Boutonnat turns Jaquou into a French Rambo ,with the crowds ridiculously chanting his name (JA-QUOU!JA-QUOU!JA-QUOU !) as if they were on a stadium ,cheering their favorite football player.Whereas Le Roy's style came straight from the heart (his hatred for the royalty and the Ancien Regime was real but he did not impose a history lesson upon his readers),Boutonnat uses a showy style,using too many slow motion pictures ,squandering the high budget in video game style battles .

Like in America ,this tendency to remake fine miniseries ("Belphegor","Jaquou" )as silver screen movies has become a curse in France.

If cinematography and period settings were not present, this film wouldn't be able to get any attention. Why? OK, here I go. First thing, above all others, is that when anybody attempts to make a popcorn flick outside of the States, the product will fail, for sure.

Second, the idea is good, but the rendering of it came out pretty lame with the thankful exceptions of a few shots, especially when Leo (the younger Jaquou) is present. But, all in all, it's a very predictable, un-original and so-so film.

Third, it's an action film so full of clichés that, with a grain of imagination, it turns out to be as dull as a Big Mac.

French films, when they're true to their origin, are usually reflective, deep, difficult, full of drama and demanding for most audiences. But, in this particular occasion, joining some other flops, enormous amounts of money went down the drain -literally, if you've already seen this film.

Olivier Gourmet, one of the most talented actors in France, could make some people, like me, watch this film. Please, if you like Olivier's previous work, don't. He's, to say the least, sketchy.