Fort Dolorès

The French editor René Chateau just released this invisible movie since more than eighty years (just one projection at the French Cinémathèque recently).

A bunch of disappointed men with women and coming from several countries work in a ranch in deserted South America without seeing any woman ("what's the address? " asked cynically a friend). Unfortunetely, in a neighbor ranch, there is a marvelous woman every man loves.

Very uncommon French movie shot just before WWII, the outside scenes in the ranch and around are shot in Camargue. These scenes can be considered as western modern scenes, with tough faces of lost men. The author Jean de Vallières was member of the Academy of Arles and wrote another movie shot in Camargue, "la Fille du Rhône". This movie reminds me of Thunderhoof by Phil Karlson, some scenes from movies by Jacques Tourneur and even Russian silent movies. The director of photography was Boris Kaufman (Jean Vigo' movies, Baby Doll,...) and some sequences are really stunning.

"Fort Dolorès " was René Le Hénaff's first effort and unfortunately remained his best ;some of his other works ("les gueux au paradis " an atttempt at fantasy , Balzac's "le colonel Chabert") are estimable but not particularly memorable.

As French cinema connoisseur Happy Trigger wrote, it was filmed on location in Camargue ; so why locate the story in South America? Because this part of the world is par excellence the place where the losers, the (ex)- convicts,the Nazis (the German character proudly shows his iron cross) ,in a nutshell the outsiders and the outcasts take refuge.

Although it takes place in a ranch on the pampa , it's a faux western : atmosphere is the keynote and action is kept to economical levels ; twelve men form a community of breeders ;although they claim their misogyny, they long for Dolorès ,a woman locked up in a mysterious house : but is this woman real or is it make believe? It is closer to romantic stuff such as "le grand Meaulnes' or Duvivier's "Marianne de Ma Jeunesse " than to an action-packed western ;Atmosphere is the keynote and the pictures follow suit : particularly the funeral of the young Mexican with the shadows on the ground and the clang of the sand on the guitar in the grave ; the rather risqué scene in the brothel; the final with a woman who might be.....

Should be restored to favor.