Mauvaise graine

First thing to bear in mind is that it's a collaboration Wilder/Esway.Esway was a minor FRench director whose best film is perhaps his old-fashioned but charming "Education de Prince" starring Louis Jouvet.

Of course Billy Wilder became one of the greatest directors in history but many of his fans might be disappointed.The seeds of the works to come are here but they are few and far between Of course the "statistics" and the voice-over heralds the prologue of "the seven years itch" These two-bit gangsters are the forerunners of those we would find in "some like it hot".

The greybeard who tries to seduce Jeanette and has his car stolen already displays that Wilder's tendency to turn "moral" something which is not ("Kiss me stupid" "Avanti") But the best gag remains the brat putting a stolen license plate on his car .

The ending does not convince since it's finally very dramatic ;but all in all,it was the classic ending of the French movie of that era: going somewhere else.

NB:When Wilder was working in Paris,Richard Pottier was making at about the same time his "Fanfare d'Amour" which would inspire ( check the screenplays ) BW's own "Some like it hot".

This film was actually co-directed by Wilder and a Hungarian named Alexander Esway, who I'm not familiar with. Having seen only five films by Wilder at this point, I can't offer a great deal of input into how this film relates to the rest of his body of work, but there are a few things worth mentioning here.

First off, it's well known that Wilder was a massive admirer of Ernst Lubitsch, the great German film director who came to America in 1923 and forever transformed Hollywood cinema, bringing to it his European sensibilities, sophistication, and sexual innuendo. Wilder, an Austrian by birth, also would leave Germany and come to America, although both his trip and the reasons for it were quite different than Lubitsch's, who left Germany by choice, not necessity.

Wilder had been a successful screenwriter in Germany from 1929 through 1933, when, aware of his Jewish ancestry, he fled the country upon Hitler's rise to power. He went to France, and shortly after came to America, where he broke into Hollywood, first as a screenwriter, then later as a highly successful director.

While he was in France, before arriving in America, he co-directed this film, "Mauvaise graine" ("Bad Seed"), in 1934. The first thing that struck me was that the film was very much in the vein of other French comedy-dramas from its time (for example, I was immediately reminded of "Under the Roofs of Paris" by René Clair, and, to a lesser extent, "Boudu Saved From Drowning" by Renoir and "L'atalante" by Vigo). Despite the fact that the two significant portions of Wilder's career were in Germany and America, this film feels neither German nor American. It sounds like Wilder was only in France for about a year, maybe less, yet he managed to perfectly imitate the style, aesthetic, and overall feel of other, similar French films of the time. I considered the possibility that this was more a result of Esway's influence than Wilder's, but even Esway, I believe, had only made one French film before this. So, either the general style and feel of French cinema permeated his film largely without his knowledge or intent, or Wilder was simply born gifted in absorbing and regurgitating the milieu and aesthetic of his environment. I lean toward the latter, though I'm sure both are true, to some extent.

The second thing that struck me was that, already, at such an early point in Wilder's career as a filmmaker, Lubitsch's influence was evident. Peter Bogdanovich, in discussing Lubitsch's "Trouble in Paradise", made the observation that, while the film's protagonists were obviously thieves, Lubitsch made a point to never show them in the act of thievery. As Bogdanovich said, "Lubitsch was much too sophisticated for that." Lubitsch being the master of innuendo and implication that he was, everything in his films was, strictly speaking, implicit, even when he often left no doubt as to what he intended to convey. Of course, censorship plays its role in such things, but there's no doubt that this method perfectly reflected Lubitsch's unique sensibility as a director, and Wilder had clearly taken notes. Early in the film, when our protagonist first steals a car, he is shown standing nearby it, looking it over, and then after a cutaway to some gangsters watching him, the next thing we see is him driving away in the presumably stolen car. It was not smoothly executed, and lacked that notorious sophistication that Bogdanovich referred to in Lubitsch's films, but the important thing, in an early work such as this, is to take note of the influence. And Wilder was clearly heavily influenced by Lubitsch, even in '34. (Note, also, the way the main character models much of his demeanor after Maurice Chevalier, a frequent star of Lubitsch's films in the early '30s, and even does an impression of him early in the film.)

Another thing I found interesting watching this film was the recurring theme of the youth's reluctance to work, to live by the 9-to-5 and sustain any kind of "respectable" job. The film even seemed to sympathize with this attitude, although I'm ambivalent as to whether or not the screenwriters (Wilder and three others) were really supporting this mentality, or simply acknowledging it as a reality for many youths of the day. In either case, there was certainly nothing condemnatory about their depiction of these kids. These are about the most innocuous car thieves you could ever conceive of.

"Mauvaise graine" stars Danielle Darrieux as the female lead, who I recently saw in Anatole Litvak's 1936 film "Mayerling". She's a quality actress. The film is also notable for having Franz Waxman as one of two musicians working on the film's score. Waxman later went on to score films for directors such as, to name a few, Alfred Hitchcock, Sam Fuller, Lewis Milestone, Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and many of Wilder's later films.

This is by no means a great film. I really can't even say that it's a truly good film. But it's very decent, and worth the watch for anyone who's interested either in Wilder himself or in French cinema from this time period. The film is generally lighthearted, slightly poignant, and on the whole solidly executed. It lacks thematic substance and narrative impact, but given that its main interest is as a curio for Wilder fans (or as a necessity for Wilder completists), it ended up being somewhat superior to my expectations. I don't suspect anyone will write home over this one, and yet, I can't imagine many will consider it a waste of time either. For a debut feature, I'm fairly impressed. Especially considering the very early work of other great Hollywood filmmakers like Kubrick or Coppola, "Mauvaise graine" is a respectable piece of cinema, and an entry into Wilder's filmography that should not be tossed aside lightly, or at all.

RATING: 5.33 out of 10 stars

Let me start by saying, if you've never seen a Billy Wilder movie, see at least 5 to 10 before seeing this. You won't appreciate it much unless you want to see Wilder's roots. This is Wilder's directorial debut, and it shows. That's not to say its a bad picture (Wilder didn't do many bad pictures), it's just not great.

When Nazis took over Austria, Wilder fled to Berlin, and later to Paris. While he was there, he wrote and directed one movie. This is it. While the film is pretty rough and not nearly as tight as his later movies, it definitely shows early aspects of his later films. You will see lots of gags similar to those he would later write with I.A.L. Diamond. Particularly the scene at the water park. Watch carefully for a make-up mirror shot, he later duplicated in The Apartment.

In between scenes there are one to three minute montages of music and shots that don't do much for the story, and tend to make your mind wander off a bit. However, one of the film's most redeeming factors is Franz Waxman's score. This movie is not only a must-see for Wilder fans, but also for fans of movie scores, as Waxman's music can be heard in nearly 300 movies, including The Philadelphia Story, Gone With the Wind, Hitchcock classics such as Rear Window and Rebecca, and some of Wilder's American films like Sunset Blvd., and Stalag 17. Waxman's music helps deliver nearly all of the jokes, and keeps the movie flowing well.

The scene that stands out most in the movie, is probably the car chase (wonderfully scored by Waxman, by the way), which is not too shabby considering it was the first film Wilder directed, and on such a low budget.

This film is important for the careers of Billy Wilder and Franz Waxman and is a must see if you are a fan of either. Was also an early film for Danielle Darrieux who has been acting in films for over 70 years, and is still going.

7/10

After his father sells his car, Henri "borrows" a stranger's car in order to make a date with a young woman. This act sees him fall foul of a gang of car thieves but after some discussion he joins their gang. Things seem to be going well but he and the boss don't see eye to eye.

Interesting enough French crime-drama. Plot is pretty basic but it is fairly engaging as we follow Henri's adventures and change from law abiding citizen to criminal. One or two good comedic moments too.

The most interesting aspect of this film is that it was Billy Wilder's directorial debut, having received a writing credit for 22 previous films. He would have to wait another eight years for his second, and his first Hollywood film, The Major and the Minor. This was also a fairly unspectacular affair. His third film, Five Graves to Cairo, was better but still didn't give an indication of the masterpieces that were to come. However, his fourth, Double Indemnity (1944) was brilliant and from then on he never looked back.

Henri Pasquier is the prodigal and profligate son. Daddy Warbucks takes away his car so the kid goes rogue. Steals a car and before long we're treated to an excellent car chase through the streets of Paris. Remember, this is 35 years before Bullitt and French Connection. Hollywood movies at the time barely left the studio.

Henri soon finds out the car-theft business is an organized racket. Luckily for him, they're hiring.

The plot then really gets going, with beautiful women distracting wealthy car owners from daring daylight car thefts on the streets of Paris. The head of the international car-theft ring is devious and charming in his own way. We get a plethora of interesting side characters. And a gorgeous love interest for Henri.

Complications arise when Henri goes to bat for better wages for the crew, so the boss cooks up a scheme to get rid of him.

Now I'm supposed to note that Bad Seed is Billy Wilder's directorial debut. He was temporarily in France after fleeing Natsy Germany. While the exterior scenes are very well done, the interior scenes are, at times, pretty stiff. Maybe that was the work of co-director Alex Esway.

Luckily, Wilder co-wrote the screenplay. The plot works on every level. The characters are believable, gritty, and lively. The setting is second-to-none.