Topaze

The most famous of the three movies Louis Gasnier made in France .Although France is his native country,the main body of his work is American .

Based on a Marcel Pagnol play , this is another Jouvet 's triumph ; the author remade "Topaze" in 1950 ,but it was overlong (135 min) and cannot be ranked among the director's greatest achievements .Besides, Fernandel lacked cynicism, wickedness ,was too full of bonhomie to portray the teacher-turned- businessman successfully .

Jouvet's performance is brilliant ,and against all odds ,the fifties version has not aged as well as this one.Jouvet was a stage/pictures genius (recently ,they dared to remake " knock" whereas his portrayal was close to perfect) : here his metamorphosis is stunning:from a bashful ,colorless and conscientious teacher to the elegant smart calculating frontman who eventually teaches his boss who's in charge here.

In the Muche boarding-school,moral proverbs are written on the classroom walls:"money can't buy happiness ""ill-gotten gains seldom prosper "; Topaze does believe in what he teaches ; after being sacked by his contemptuous headmaster, his naivete inspires a corrupt city council man with confidence ,and little by little,he learns the tricks of the trade :the humiliated teacher whose ignorance of business was taked for granted, shows himself more ambitious and more cynical than those who used to look down on him.

Jouvet gets strong support from Edwige Feuillère and Pierre Larquey :the former is a self-interested seductress who shines in the scene when she passes herself off as a victim of fate whose life would be ruined if the frontman revealed the truth.The latter is a good guy ,a teacher who still believes in education ,but his last line (which could be that of recent comedies) calls his future into question.

A comic but ultimately transgressive tale of a socially inept schoolmaster who must confront his own principles. Is he too honest for his own good? Or is it the town that needs cleaning up? Louis Jouvet gives his usual stunning performance as the professor, whose troubles are either caused or solved by the snappy Edwige Feuillère, in her amazing Schiaparelli getups. Some of the film-making is a bit primitive (e.g., a heavy handed cross-fade from a horse's tail to the rear of a character, and the usual harsh sound mix of French films from this period), but the good acting and thought-provoking plot (not the mention the art deco designs) make the film worthwhile.

There are those who are blessed with talent and those who are touched by genius. This thought kept going through my mind as I watched Louis Jouvet as Topaze and concluded that he definitely belongs in category 2. Pagnol was none too keen on this version directed by Louis Glasnier but I strongly believe this to be the best of the five versions, if one includes 'Mister Topaze' of Peter Sellers of course! Pagnol himself had two tries. His first attempt in 1936 which neither I nor anybody else seems to have seen, starred Alexandre Arnaudy. I cannot imagine sitting through that having seen Arnaudy's laboured, over the top performance as 'Cigalon' for the same director. He had another go in 1951 with one of his regular collaborators Fernandel who is simply fantastic in the part. All of Pagnol's words have been reinstated which makes the film overlong and at times tedious. Even Fernandel's well-rounded portrayal cannot prevent this version outstaying its welcome. Suzy is played by the elegant Helene Perdriere but she pales in comparison with the wondrous Edwige Feuiliere of 1933. The scenes that work best for Fernandel are those with Marcel Vallee and Pierre Larquey, both of whom reprise their roles as Muche and Tamise from Glasnier's film. Larquey especially is given a greater opportunity here to shine. Although Glasnier's film creaks a bit technically, it is played by all with an energy and verve which is irresistible. Jouvet is simply the toughest act to follow. What a pity that Glasnier never again reached such heights. Apart from the Pearl White series his only claim to fame is a worthless film(made in Hollywood naturally) called 'Reefer Madness' about the evils of Marijuana. In my opinion it should also serve as a warning of the perils of watching terrible actors. For those interested in such trivia, both Feuilliere and Perdriere were costumed by Schiapiarelli, which just goes to prove that some things cannot be improved upon!

On a text of Pagnol, the first movie of Jouvet who is already impressive, add Edwige Feuillère and Paul Pauley and you have a fabulous cocktail for an excellent time watching this movie.

One remarkable thing about Louis Jouvet's stunning performance is the subtlety with which he conveys the transformation. Topaze does not go from country bumpkin to worldly-wise con artist. This would be too simple and implausible. Rather every gesture, every nuance seem to suggest an intelligent man, playing by the rules, who has no clout whatsoever, being suddenly empowered through humiliation. He was made a fool of, and so the inner man no longer has any reason to lack courage and self-confidence. It is a baptism of fire. He not only learns but he sizes up his manipulators and makes fools of them.

Louis Jouvet did not achieve this level of interpretation without relentless, near- fanatical devotion to his craft. A kind of control freak he agonized constantly over his stage productions, for, in fact, he was given the stewardship of several theaters in the days before commercial theater and television. Thus, he set a standard almost impossible to duplicate.

Here, he is supported on all sides by the greats of French theater and cinema - Edwige Feuillère, who plays Suzy Courtois, left behind roles of this type to go on to become one of France's most versatile and honored actresses, often portraying noble women.

It's hard to imagine a better Castel-Benac. Pauley has the shape of an inverted pear and in French "poire" (pear) also refers to a dupe!

All in all a fine example of French comic theater, thankfully preserved on screen.