Un barrage contre le Pacifique

The third time we've seen Marguerite Duras' childhood as a movie and they are all more interesting than her own films - which is not difficult. This is not a great film, though it is remarkable on period. I still prefer René Clement's deeply flawed version and I did enjoy the eroticised L'Amant.

Curiously this is the first one not by a French director and it's a French movie. Huppert is always watchable and, with her character shifted to centre stage, there is an interesting change of emphasis. The final shot of the actual rice paddy is resonant. Jo Van Fleet's version seems to come from another planet.

The picture of Colonial Cambodia here is more convincing, though the things that should be central are sketchy - the ex-school teacher mother's back story, her relationship to the locals, who she is supposed to be protecting.

Originally filmed in 1957 by Rene Clement and with an international cast headed by Jo Van Fleet, Silvana Mangano and Anthony Perkins, (I haven't seen it), "The Sea Wall" is based on a novel by Marguerite Duras and is set in Indochina in 1931. This version, directed by the Cambodian director Rithy Panh, is a visually sumptuous epic centered mainly on Isabelle Huppert's fine performance as the matriarch.

The plot is the fairly conventional one of someone fighting both nature and bureaucracy to retain control of their land, a theme common from a number of American based pictures, though the beauty here of the 'exotic' locations gives the film an added dimension while the director's background in documentary adds to the authenticity. Perhaps it could do with a greater sense of urgency, (you tend to be beguiled by the pictures rather than the plot), but it's still a fairly pleasant way to pass a couple of hours, particularly on a wet Saturday afternoon.

I wonder about the person who claimed that the films Duras made are not interesting. Her short subjects, made in the 1970s, are exquisite and her collaboration with Resnais on Hiroshima mon amour created the most penetrating anti-war movie I've ever seen. Her films are, admittedly, hard to come by, but well worth it. Working with actors like Jeanne Moreau and a very young Gerard Depardieu, she reaches deep into the psyche at a slow, relentless pace. The films require - and reward - patience.

This diamond ring is getting around: from Monsieur Jo's ring collection to Suzanne's finger, then back to Jo, then to Suzanne again, then the French woman gets it after some nocturnal goings-on with Joseph, Suzanne's brother, then it comes back to Suzanne... whew, what a journey for a flawed piece of goods. As a symbol of human desires gone out of whack, it's really effective. Just as effective are the scenes of the villagers being exploited by Jo and his henchmen in the Land Registry, and the revenge taken on a hapless official by the villagers: Rithy Panh grew up in a totalitarian state and understands the mechanisms of colonial corruption and brutality. His camera quietly records all the actions of a colonial regime desperate to keep its power and privileges in a far-away land.

The actors are mostly very good. Gaspard Ulliel stands out as the son who has great value as a gigolo, not so much as a plantation boss. Astrid Berges reminded me of Jane March in L'Amant: she's pretty and looks like a prize for a rich planter. Lucy Harrison as Carmen has a wonderful easy charm in her two scenes. Stephane Rideau as Agosti has had his part trimmed considerably from the important role he plays in Duras's novel, and that detracts from the power of the film. Finally Isabelle Huppert gives one of her star turns: she understands the nervous energy of Mme. Donnadieu, and her willingness to play the game of racial superiority over Jo, but the iron will the woman had is somehow missing. It's a three-quarters performance.

This is a costume drama of solid but very routine production values. The theme is anti-colonialism. The French colonial authorities are shown as corrupt and oppressive and the colonist family at the centre of the narrative is economically hopeless and morally degenerate. Isabelle Huppert is a slightly crazy and clueless head of a family whose only assets reside in the sexual allure of its teenage son and daughter. These assets are exploited in an attempt to save the family's fortunes. They are an unlikeable bunch although some nuance is generated by Huppert who injects a little humanity into her character. The film feels slow-paced and over long and do we really need another anti-colonial tract?