Fausse alerte

This film from 1945 France is a little bit of fluff. The quality level of the production is modest at best, the tone feels too light during air-raid alarms (even for a romantic comedy), and the acting feels stagey. However, it has its moments, and it entertained me. The story of the young Romeo and Juliet couple (Georges Marchal and Micheline Presle) is pretty standard, but the growing attraction between their feuding parents (Saturnin Fabre and Gabrielle Dorziat) is very cute. The battle for dominance in the marriage of two café owners was also amusing.

Most of all, though, I loved seeing Josephine Baker, who is a delight. How fantastic it is to see her in this role, without the least hint of a stereotype. Her musical numbers don't have a wow factor, and her dance routines are toned down, but the joy on her face and her charisma really come through. The movie was filmed in 1940 and not released for five years because of the war, meaning she was 34 and had been in Paris for 15 years. You see the wisdom in her moving to France, because, as she put it, "One day I realized I was living in a country where I was afraid to be black." It's an average film, but I gave it a little bonus, because to see her is special.

This movie may have been released in 1945 after the Liberation, but it clearly was shot in 1940, during the "False War", since it it an ensemble comedy set around people in Paris' air raid shelters.

Micheline Presle and Georges Marchal are desperately in love, but his father, Saturnin Fabre, has written a history of Napoleon in which he claims that her mother, Gabrielle Dorziat is not a descendant of that man. Lawsuits fly, and Fabre offers Josephine Baker a discount on her rent if she will have one of her chorus girls distract his son. However, she is all for young love, so for the moment, she's happy to play Friar Lawrence with some musical interludes. Other comics of the era add in marital discord, war profiteering and how tramps adjust to there being jobs for everyone.

It's an amusing French comedy of the cynical variety, but by the post-war era, no one was very interested in it, except possibly for seeing Miss Baker. It got an American release in 1952 in the period when all the sophisticates wanted to see foreign films, then fell back into relative obscurity; four musical numbers and a view of the war that ran contrary to the mythic image chafed. Still, for the trifle that it is, it's a very pleasant one.

"Fausse alerte " is not among the best of De Baroncelli's prolific body of work ;his forte is the adaptation of classic literature such as "l'Arlésienne " "Michel Strogoff" "les mystères de Paris " and his towering achievement "la duchesse de Langeais".

But it's a pleasant harmless little comedy ;there's no central character ,but the excellent cast gives the movie substance: Gabrielle Dorziat and Saturnin Fabre are neighbors ,enemies like Montaigu and Capulet : their daughter and son (Micheline Presles and Georges Marchal ,both on the threshold of a brilliant career , a singer and her manager - Josephine Baker performs several tunes ,including "oiseau des îles " ," non,Nina " and "it's a long way to Tipperary " ; Jean Tissier is her manager.

But all in all , they are all outstripped by Lucien Baroux as the tramp who does not want to hear of working and who treats a former army pal on the house ,a café owned by his friend Honoré (Aimos) and his cantankerous missus (Palmyre Levasseur ) ; this threesome is irresistible and steals the show: Honoré is always under his shrew's thumb,except during the alarms in the shelters where he reigns over everyone for he is chief of district and responsible for the security of the inhabitants .He's proud of his whistle.

Made in 1940 , but released five years after ,for a good reason. Baker 's final song is a salute to the allies ,and though it's not the Occupation yet, the meaning of the film is to show that their quarrels are futile ,because war is here, Romeo is about to join the air force ,and it's time to all stand together.

Baker has almost no presence in this film, unfortunately, aside from several musical numbers which are not fantastic. Maybe it was just the video I had, but the movie seemed uninspired visually, dark and boring, especially the musical numbers. Or maybe it was wartime budget restrictions. See this one last.

No, this isn't a Josephine Baker vehicle, but neither is she just a cameo. It's an ensemble film, and she fits in well, adding her spirit and charm without upstaging any of the rest of the cast.

French sophisticated comedy was a different flavor from the American screwball comedy of the period, but just as funny if you understand the French outlook. More understated, more accepting of folly as the status quo.

Basically this is a Romeo & Juliette tale. The feud between the families arose because the father of the young man published research proving that the great-x-grandmother of the young woman had NOT had an affair with Napoleon. This was seen by mademoiselle's mama as besmirching the honor/sustaining-myth of her family. If this premise doesn't at least make you smile, then this isn't the film for you.

Being comedy rather than tragedy, of course the lovers manage, with the aid of Baker, a charming clochard (hobo), and a couple of air-raids, to finally bring the families together so they can marry.

Not a great film, but not a bad one either; a reasonable evening's entertainment if you like the Gallic take on life.