Fort Saganne

If you're the type of person who doesn't normally like to sit down and watch a subtitled movie for your evening's entertainment, consider making an exception for Fort Saganne. Take the recommendation from my mom, who usually rolls her eyes and thinks, "A French movie? That means it's going to film a floating balloon for half an hour while a bunch of posers talk about existentialism." Even she was very entertained by this one, and it was three hours long!

Gérard Depardieu stars as a peasant trying to better himself and gain respect through a military career. Although he seems to be earning respect from his superior officer, Philippe Noiret, Philippe merely puts him through difficult missions to try and break his spirit and still shuns him socially. When Gérard and the young, sweet Sophie Marceau start to develop feelings for one another, Sophie's family pulls some strings and has Gérard transferred to the Sahara Desert. The promotional posters, as well as the trailer, for this movie will have you thinking Catherine Deneuve has a prominent part, but she's really only onscreen for twenty minutes. She's very pretty, but she doesn't do much in this one, and Sophie has a larger, more important part.

The focus of this three-hour Four Feathers-esque epic isn't either romance, but instead Gérard's endurance of the desert. If you liked Lawrence of Arabia, you'll love this one. You can truly feel the heat, filth, and sand, and it makes you wonder why every soldier stationed out there didn't lose his mind. At times, though surrounded by miles of open space, it feels like Gérard has been put in prison, with Philippe as his warden. If you really love the desert landscape and could never think of it as a villainous character, you'll probably be awed by Alain Corneau's beautiful direction. Fort Saganne really is a masterpiece, one of the finest representatives of serious French cinema. Even I, who was watching this movie with the sole purpose of drooling over Gérard's extremely handsome face, was able to tear myself away from the view and appreciate the scenery.

Put on your reading glasses and start your movie early tonight so you can stay awake through the whole thing. Alain Corneau's direction is remarkable and ahead of its time, Philippe Sarde's theme is lush and memorable, and you'll get to see Sophie Marceau in only her third movie. And it never hurts to have a handsome man in the lead. Three hours pass in no time when you're looking at Gérard Depardieu.

Breathtaking images. The vanity of French presence in the Sahara at the beginning of te 20th century well depicted. Sublime crew of actors, every one of them. I was amazed not to have known of this masterpiece long ago.

Based on a real person, grandfather of writer Louis Gardel.

Superb music from the London Symphonic Orchestra.

We follow Charles Saganne story that belongs to farmer class and whose family tries to rise. Sent to the army to help their finance, he finally arrives in Sahara and discovers the desert, honnor, battles and love. It is a bit of a French "Lawrence of Arabia", with maybe the desert as a stronger character as it plays a huge part in the development of Saganne. The film goes on, alternating from Sahara to France, following its history.

Depardieu is key in this movie to make us believe in that man, used to do what he is said, and whose experience in the desert and then with a woman changes him.

However, the movie is a bit too long and lacks some stamina to be as powerful as it could have been.

The problem with this film is that nothing is left for the viewer to assume, deduce, or imagine. Everything which one might need to know in order to understand the full narrative is shown, in detail - and the audience doesn't need that: as a result the film lasts .... what? two and a half hours? .... at least half an hour of which is certainly dead matter. There are some very impressive incidents, but the impact is muffled. I can't help feeling too, that, given that Corneau seems to want to make the most of his setting and given what that setting is, even the photography represents a wasted opportunity. It's dramatic, but it could have stood you still. Imagination needed!

Sets and costumes are perfect, and there is not a single bad actor. However, the it is not a moving film and it scandalously supports slaughtery of colonized rebels, just as golden era Hollywood celebrates the butchery of untamed Indians. Honestly, I expected more from a film from the 80's than this absence of self criticism: there are the bad colonizers (racists, cowards and aristocratic) and there are the good colonizers (handsome liberators with honour and humble origin, and good relationship with reasonable natives, who respectfully provide French peace to Africa, only killing rebels who did not understand French civilization, with a heroic sountrack to highlight that imperialistic heroism). Seriously?! If there is any criticism, it is similar to that of USA Vietnam War movies: how the government did not care about the suffering of its heroes in battlefront. Besides the military issue, the movie also has is personal issue: let me call characters by actors' names: Depadieu's affair with Deneuve ans his love story with Marceau are very undevelopped and unexplained too. Depardieu's brother has an even less connected story, as a three-hour film needed more plots to be added.