La provinciale

Claude Goretta has made many films (mostly for TV) but I've seen only three, and liked only one: L'Invitation, a witty and stylish look at Swiss bourgeois values. His heavy-handed left-wing politics are very stale now; La provinciale is of interest only to film historians and fans of Nathalie Baye who would like to see her youthful work. The story is very weak and episodic, disjointed scenes are set up to chart the downward course of a young woman who leaves her native Lorraine to look for work in Paris. Bruno Ganz is the love interest; bearded and ardent, he provides some energy. Angela Winkler holds down two jobs: actress and prostitute. She's not good at one and we can only guess how she can support herself at the other; Goretta is unwilling to show us her work in the sack.

There is more of the TV soap than the feature film in this work. I watched Nathalie Baye with great enjoyment as she went through her paces--the cross-country run at the château was very well done, her scorn came through very well,as did the love of her homeland and the choral singing she did there.

Even the finest directors have their off-days. On the evidence of "La Dentelliere" alone, the Swiss Claude Goretta is a remarkable artist. Although he never quite achieved another work as sustained in its level of inspiration, there are some marvellous things in his Rousseau biopic "Chemins d'exile" and an admirably established sense of time and place in "The Death of Mario Ricci". But what to make of "La Provinciale" which ventures into "Dentelliere" territory by again exploring the theme of the "innocent" trying to come to terms with a disappointing world? Not that Nathalie Baye's "Girl from Lorraine" is as shy and defenceless as Isabelle Huppert's Pomme. At least she fights back when sexually harassed by a prospective employer even though it costs her a job and a few tears. "La Provenciale" has a wonderfully promising opening. During a time of economic recession, Christine decides to leave family and friends in the industrial heartland of eastern France to seek work in Paris. She leaves behind emotional security symbolised by the choir to which she belongs for a social milieu where nothing is guaranteed. Everything in this prologue is sharply observed so that we feel we know this girl and her background intimately. However from the point when she reaches Paris the film starts to lose its way through lack of narrative development. It becomes a series of episodic encounters, each one reinforcing Christine's disillusionment. a dirty-minded would-be employer, a businessman who puts a promotional prospect before romantic attachment, an alcoholic who is weary of living and a group of men at a country houseparty who use the women guests as pawns for their gambling. Always in a Goretta film the men behave badly to women who are often innocent to the point of naivety. If there is an additional message here it would appear to be that home is best. The problem is that it takes an awfully long time and a journey leading nowhere to say this. How much more rewarding was another provincial girl's journey to the big city in search of work, that of Carrie, William Wyler's eponymous heroine in his 1952 masterpiece. Now there was a journey that really led somewhere!

It is true that Swiss director Claude Goretta is considered a major figure in the history of Swiss cinema but his contributions to world cinema have also been acknowledged by critics as well as viewers. He is primarily known for depicting Swiss realities in his films. However, there are occasions when he has portrayed French realities with acclaimed French actors namely Gérard Depardieu, Marlène Jobert, Isabelle Huppert, Nathalie Baye etc. La Provinciale is a film about loneliness in an urban milieu which has taken its toll on people of both sexes. It is a tough situation as there is no solution in sight and people have accepted their vulnerabilities. Although the film is based on the tough life of a woman building illustrator, the portrayal of loneliness is so intense that it affects everybody in Paris. This is one reason why Goretta shows that regardless of their wealth, a lot of rich men are lonely. Apart from loneliness, Goretta also depicts the hollowness of acting profession wherein a talented actress is made to compromise her dignity as she is facing tough times despite having a family which can be called her own. While watching this film, to a certain extent, one would get the impression that a woman can understand another woman's problems better. However, it is revealed that this is not true in real life as every person has own priorities. The choice of actors is nice as Bruno Ganz, Angela Winkler and Nathalie Baye immerse themselves totally in their respective roles. Lastly, 'La Provinciale' is purely a film for the admirers of art cinema as there is hardly anything commercial about it.

A small, quiet film about loneliness in the Big City, and personal integrity. Set in a deliberately grey, unglamorous Paris (there is only one shot of the Eiffel Tower, from a distance), and directed in a flatline by the Swiss Claude Goretta, "La Provinciale" aka "The Girl From Lorraine" is not a film that would ever draw a massive audience, but Nathalie Baye is a winsome protagonist, and Goretta deserves credit for portraying a woman who will stick to her principles, and her true self, no matter what. Solid support from Bruno Ganz and Angela Winkler, but a long section in the second half with a perpetual drunk (Patrick Chesnais) drags. **1/2 out of 4.