Um Carnê de Baile

i saw this film for the first time 1946, and was completely spellbound. last time i saw this film beginning of March 2003. the magic was still there. i understood the film much better,enjoed it more. Who can ever forget the haunting melody of the walz or the final episode with Fernandel.

One of the great classics of 1930's French cinema and one of cinema's great ;memory' pictures, "Un Carnet de Bal" has, sadly, fallen out of fashion in these more cynical times despite its being a surprisingly hard-nosed and often bleak movie. The plot revolves around recently widowed Christine as she tracks down the men she danced with from an old dance programme of twenty years before, (when she was sweet sixteen). Of course, each of them has changed drastically, almost to the point where they are no longer recognizable; in fact two are already dead and as Christine explores her past some harsh truths emerge.

Marie Bell is a luminous Christine, the great Francoise Rosay is magnificent as the mother of a boy who may have killed himself for love and a whole host of great French actors of the period play the survivors and potential suitors. There are flawless performances from Harry Baur, Pierre Blanchar, Fernandel, Louis Jouvet, Raimu and Pierre Richard-Willm. It also represents the high point in Julien Duvivier's career and was at one time considered among the greatest films ever made. It cries out for rediscovery.

"Un Carnet de Bal" is a poem made movie. Like Christine, everybody had gone into his past, looking for the point of break, which decided one way, in order to rectify ours errors.

Finally, "Un Carnet de Bal" is a film for all the time.

J'adore Ce film! But "Christine"? Where did that come from? I've only ever known it as Un Carnet DE Bal, with Valse Gris permanently etched into my mind.

I saw it first around 1941 when I was 14, during the war, at the long lamented Academy cinema on London's Oxford Street. It turned up there periodically, along with La Femme Du Boulanger, Le Jour SE Leve, The Strange Case of David Gray (a renamed Vampyr), La Fin Du Jour, and some other prewar classics. Great stuff for a schoolboy! Previously I've had it on a censored Korean DVD (the Marseilles sequence had been removed) but now,happily,it's available complete as a gloriously restored Bluray. Gaumont,you have our huge thanks!

It's a magnificent film, a bit wordy perhaps here and there but they're good French words. It's a lasting achievement by a superb cast and crew at the top of their game.

And with great respect let's give thought to Harry Baur and Robert Lynen (Duvivier's Poil de Carotte), both murdered by the Nazis during the occupation.

Newly widowed Marie Bell (Christine) is clearing out her house when she chances upon her dance-card from her first ball which she attended when she was 16. She is feeling nostalgic and determines to track down each name on the card to see how they are doing in life. Who knows, maybe a love will rekindle?

The film is a series of set pieces as Marie sets about her mission and each name on the card is given a short section. This made the film tolerable to watch as beforehand I was thinking to myself "Oh my goodness, this film is almost 2 and a half hours long!" Well, it doesn't seem like it and that is a credit to the director and the actors and actresses involved. In fact, the film is constantly entertaining even if it does focus on some downbeat situations. You can definitely relate to these people. My favourite story is the one that concerns the priest as it shows how life can move on from sadness in a positive way. I do have 1 question, though - what is that ending about!!? Is that a blossoming romance!!?

In real life, sentimental reflections just make me sad so I don't see the point but this film is worth a watch even if the topic is somewhat asking for trouble. I googled a friend when I was reminiscing of past times and found out that he had become a Hollywood stuntman and had jumped from a plane but his parachute failed to open. Miraculously, he survived as some tree branches broke his fall. He broke every bone in his body and his memory has been affected. I wish I hadn't looked him up! This film is a bit like that but more fun.