Aventure malgache

It is interesting for Hitchcock completests in particular, but this is not an example of the great director being on top form. There are some imaginative directorial touches(in the camera work, humour and the theme with the double), a nice droll denouncement, some nicely crafted production values, some decent acting especially from Paul Claras and a playful yet haunting music score. Sadly for Aventure Malgache for all the good things there are a number of things that are not done very well. It is too heavy on the dialogue, which apart from the sly humour here and there veers on stilted and crass and it bogs the pacing down. The pacing does have some quick-moving scenes but the most talky scenes drag, while the storytelling does get confused and not the easiest to follow. There is not much exciting here either, it is the case of too much dialogue not enough action and there is little suspense too. And it does get bogged down in the propaganda elements, it makes its point but it doesn't hold up well and some may find the attitudes of the French being portrayed here rather insensitive(the reason why it stayed in the vaults for such a long time). In conclusion, an interesting short film and worth the look but Aventure Malgache is really not Hitchcock at his best and it doesn't ever rise above interesting curiosity value. 5/10 Bethany Cox

As a major Hitchcock fan, I was excited to get the chance to see this rarely-seen propaganda short that Hitchcock made in England in the French langauge about the French resistance. The results are far below Hitchcock's talents. The film is too dialogue heavy and convoluted. I can just barely tell you what happened in this film, and what I remember now, two minutes after finishing it, will be completely gone within a half an hour. It doesn't work as entertainment, and it certainly doesn't work as propaganda. Perhaps Hitchcock should have studied Eisenstein, who had the capability to churn out propaganda imbued with extraordinary artistry. Aventure Malgache was simply done too quickly and without enough thought. 5/10.

"Aventure Malgache" is one of two short, French-language features that Alfred Hitchcock made during World War II as a tribute to the French Resistance. It is not as good as the other of these ("Bon Voyage"), but it will certainly be of interest to fans of the great director, and it is also a distinctive look at one of the more unknown aspects of World War II.

The film opens in a dressing room, as one of a group of French actors discusses how a character in their upcoming performance reminds him of his experiences on the island of Madagascar when it was taken over by the Axis. The story that he tells in flashback contains some suspense, but the main interest is psychological and historical. There were many on the island who wanted to resist Vichy rule, but they were split into various factions, and their attempts were further complicated by personal rivalries and agendas.

While there is not much action, it is interesting as a very different look at World War II than what we are used to seeing in the movies. There are some good Hitchcock touches of humor and mild suspense, and like "Bon Voyage", it is very similar in nature and length to an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".

If you are a Hitchcock fan, or if you are fascinated in everything about World War II, you should find "Aventure Malgache" of some interest.

In wartime with such a shortage of resources, short films made in the French language in Britain in 1944 were undoubtedly made for very distinct purposes. In this situation Hitchcock evidently put his talents entirely at the disposal of the powers that be but, in the absence of concrete information, we can only guess what those purposes were.

In common with "Bon Voyage" - the other of the two films Hitch shot in the French language during the war - the intended audience was Vichy France and the Vichy controlled French colonies (the film is set in Madagascar). Overall they were propaganda films, intended for the French resistance. Each is to some extent instructional particularly warning of pitfalls resistance members could fall into. Here the main character is imprisoned by the Vichy authorities and finds that a defence lawyer has been provided for him. The defence lawyer asks for full details of the man's resistance activities so that he can better defend him. The main character immediately realises that the lawyer is working for the authorities and there solely to extract incriminating information. Noticeable too are the many references to Britain's role in supporting the Resistance - presumably an important part of the film's message.

Overall the film quite slick, pacy and good humoured. Other propaganda elements are not so obvious although presumably the main character's bravery, spirit, wiliness along with his undoubted patriotism (like Petain, a hero of the Battle of Verdun in WW1, indeed known to Petain but having chosen resistance rather than collaboration) perhaps offered something of a role model for the audience. The key line must have been "The greatness of a country is measured by the spirit of its people". Given the reality of occupation and collaboration, "spirit" was one thing that nevertheless could remain undimmed, that national honour could still be fought for and could still be saved.

Interestingly both films were small projects and that it was other directors who handled the now iconic wartime productions.

Adventure Malgache (1944)

** (out of 4)

The second of two propaganda films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Three actors are getting ready for rehearsals when one of them says he doesn't know how to play the part. Another actor then tells him a story of a man he knew who was running a radio broadcast to beat the Nazis. This was a confusing mess of a film that isn't nearly as good as the previous film Bon Voyage. There's way too much dialogue and it's never clear what the director is trying to do with the material.

Bon Voyage (1944)

*** 1/2 out of 4)

One of two Alfred Hitchcock directed shorts this one dealing with an escaped POW (John Blythe) who tells his Captain how he escaped only to have his Captain drop a bombshell on him. This was a wonderful little film that was a lot better than I expected. As usual, Hitchcock manages to build up some wonderful atmosphere and the "twist" in the story is very nicely done and works without any hitches.