Il grande vessillo

Christian-Jaque and Jean-Louis Barrault had previously collaborated on filming the life of composer Hector Berlioz. That film has merit but here they have gone one better with this portrait of Henri Dunant, the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Dunant's single-minded mission to found what became the Red Cross stemmed from witnessing the horrific spectacle of thousands of wounded and dying soldiers with no medical attention following the Battle of Solferino. There is no doubting that Dunant's belief in the Brotherhood of Man struck a cord with Christian-Jaque and it shows. What can one say of Barrault, one of the greatest actor/directors of the post-War theatre who went from the Comedie Francaise to forming a company with his wife Madeleine Renaud. His film appearances are sporadic but always telling, most notably as Baptiste in 'Les enfants du Paradis'. He has at times a tendency to be 'detached' but here he is simply superb as Dunant and really inhabits the role. Biopics are devilish tricky to bring off as the nature of film requires both omissions and additions! One cannot but wonder if the unconsummated love portrayed between Dunant and rich widow Elsa Kastner, played by Helene Perdriere, is fact or fiction. Their tender scenes together are beautifully acted however and serve as a contrast to the Battle of Solferino, the surreal dream sequence and an unforgettable scene where Dunant waves the Red Cross Flag during the Austrian siege of Paris. The director has again used the services of cinematographer Christian Matras, designer Robert Gys and editor Robert Desagneaux. The score is one of Joseph Kosma's most powerful and the cast has the privilege of speaking the lines of Charles Spaak. No easy task to do justice to a towering figure like Dunant in 96 minutes but the spirit of a great humanitarian has been captured brilliantly in this piece which must surely be Christian-Jaque's labour of love.

Christian-Jaque ,all along his career ,was a man of peace .Many of his works show his idealism,his pacifism and his trust in Man."Si Tous les Gars du Monde","les Disparus de Saint-Agil " were generous works.Even his "Fanfan la Tulipe" displayed his anti-militarism ,thanks to Henri Jeanson's lines.

D'Homme à Hommes (From man to men)is completely forgotten today and however it deserves to be seen ,cause Christian-Jaque succeeded in what might be one of the hardest tasks in directing: a biography .He tells Henri Dunant's story:this man was responsible for the founding of the Red Cross.

Jean-Louis Barrault ("Children of the paradise" ) gave a memorable performance and we feel how he loved his character !He was given good support by Bernard Blier and Hélène Perdrière.

Dunant was altruistic in a century which ,likes ours and the one before ,was not.

"-They all rush towards the concert and meanwhile ,men are suffering and dying !

-Well,Henri,the war is over.

-Which one?"

Outstanding scenes:

• Henri in Geneva ,urging people to become soldiers of peace,and to fight for the only war worth fighting for.

-Henri's nightmare which features an incredibly impressive use of stairs,clocks and giant officers .

-Henri gave it all :his poverty in a hovel.

-Henri's tears when he sees the soldier marching once again to war.

-Henri and his white flag,leading the wounded people out of Paris surrounded by the Prussians.

-The prologue and the epilogue which show that ,like all the great men and women ,Dunant was a humble human being.The film is a long flashback.

Christian-Jaque always selected the right detail,the detail that hit home: "what about making a Civet (stew)? ,a starving man says ,holding a big rat during the siege of Paris."

Let Christian-Jaque tell you a tale of self-denial and humaneness.