Le feu follet

One of the triumphs of the otherwise often overrated nouvelle vague,Louis Malle's adaptation of a Drieu de la Rochelle has not aged bit.Thanks to Maurice Ronet ,who portrays a suicidal man,probably the most beautiful performance of this kind.The movie is nothing but a long wandering in a mental hospital,in the Parisian bistros,in the posh world where an Antonioniesque bourgeoisie is killing time (see Alexandra Stewart's character).If I mention Antonioni,it''s not by chance ;actually Malle succeeds here where Antonioni only partially does.The difference ,I think,lies in the fact that we have here a human being,made of flesh and blood,who exists,and I would like to point out once again what a great actor the late Maurice Ronet was.Eric Satie's music perfectly captures the doomed atmosphere.This is arguably Louis Malle 's finest,one of the rare movies which achieve the delicate balance between the strong screenplay and the "liberties" dear to the new wave creators. Yes the new wave did produce great movies:"la tête contre les murs " (Franju)"Cléo de 5 à 7" (Varda)"Lola" (Demy)and this one are jewels on its crown.

Beautifully detailed black and white study of a man looking for a reason to go on living and not really finding it. Updates the excellent 1920s novel on which it is based to the 1960s without sacrificing anything of the former's timeless relevance. To give a (very) rough point of reference, it is something of a subdued Left Bank version of "La Dolce Vita", although Malle's film has none of the frantic burlesque episodes of LDV. Rather, the feel of the film is consistently weary and melancholic. Poetic and moving, it's an existentialist classic.

"The Fire Within" (French, 1963): Directed by Louis Malle, scored by Eric Satie. This is a perfect visual reason to use black and white with tons of gray. It is two days in the life of a young, popular man who has returned to his acquaintances, friends and ex-lovers, after vanishing into a program for alcoholics…a program he found comforting, and did NOT want to leave. He searches through his relationships for a reason to continue his life, whether as-is or anew…but overriding any thoughts of the future is his current state of total depression. His friends continued their lives during his absence, they continue their fast-paced, challenging repartee during his visits, and they will clearly continue after his leaving. "The Fire Within" is a quiet, observational film, interrupted only for conversations that seem to have substance, yet offer no solutions. It has one goal, and meets it very well.

This is a mesmerising film about suicide as a rational way out. Ronet is wonderful in the role, sweetly sad, boyishly charming, tragically self-aware. His loving, well-meaning friends he visits on the way to the final "checking-out" are an interesting study and their inability to connect with Ronet or perceive where he's heading is poignant. For me, the best Louis Malle ever. The choice of music is great as well.

One extraordinary feature of this film is what I would call a "filter". Right from the start, the viewer knows that Alain is hurriedly (yet half-heartedly) searching for something that would give him the will to live, otherwise he will commit suicide. This extremely simple premise leads to extraordinary effects: the everyday happenings, which would seem neutral or even pleasant in any other circumstance, now fill us with disgust. Through the filter of Alain's eyes, we perceive the everyday reality as hopeless and empty of any worthwhile purpose. The author's message: you should apply that filter to your own life. But who has the guts to do it? I know I don't.