Sortilégios

Spellbinding,fascinating film,in a wintry snowy atmosphere which Christian-Jaque's camera perfectly captures.Wonderful pictures:the dead body in the snow raising a hand;the dark horse,galloping in the mountains,as if this animal were demanding justice for his murdered master;the fete ,with the dance complete with quaint instruments ... The whole movie is a feast for the eye .The soundtrack essentially consists of the old French folk song "Aux Marches du Palais " (which Serge Bourguignon would use again in "Cybèle Et Les Dimanches de Ville D'Avray" aka "Sundays and Cybèle" ) which is played again and again,and even sung in full by Renée Faure.

If the film is visually a splendor,I do not think that Prévert's screenplay is perfect .It sometimes drags on and the first dialog between Ledoux and Coedel is rather talky;so is Pigaut's and Faure's interminable love scene.Renée Faure is not attractive enough to portray a romantic peasant girl successfully.She is overshadowed,every step of the way ,by sensational Madeleine Robinson ,one of the greatest actresses France has ever had.Robinson and Pigaut had already teamed up in Claude Autant-Lara's classic "Douce" (1942) and the scenes where they are together (particularly the ball)takes the film out on a level of stratospheric intensity that simply rises above the rest and makes the

Faure/Pigaut scenes bland by comparison.

Like this?Try these:

"Goupi Mains Rouges" Jacques Becker 1943

"L'Assassinat du Père Noel" Christian -Jaque 1941

"Barry" Richard Pottier 1949

I didn't realize this job existed but Lucien Coëdel is the bellman. He rings the bell from a shack in the middle of nowhere in a snow covered zone in France which is prone to blizzards. His role is similar to that of a lighthouse keeper alerting passing strangers who may be in trouble to a safety zone. Only, he's not normal. A murder is committed outside his shack and whilst other villagers are accused the film follows a love triangle that seriously needs to be resolved.

The film scores for being different as it is set in and around a snowy French village. Two women have a love rivalry that makes things interesting and the bellman is always a bit unpredictable. However, the film is a bit slow and I lost interest. There are no surprises here which is a shame and the outcome is fairly obvious and a bit cheesy.

I must thank Mr Bertrand Tavernier as he recommended this incredible "Sortilèges" directed by the great Christian-Jaque. Visually constantly inventive with Louis Page as the cinematographer, there are a lot of creepy sequences, and the actors are deeply involved in the madness of their characters, especially Fernand Ledoux and Lucien Coëdel (and don't miss Sinoël). There are a lot of camera movements in all the important and sometimes frightening sequences. There are only a few scenes a little weak, but they are instantly forgotten by all the brilliant rest. Shot in Mont Dore in Auvergne. Curiously, just after this masterpiece, I saw an english jewell directed by Jack Lee Thomson (with Sharon Tate), "Eye of the devil". Both movies have some similarities.

Similar mood (and setting) as 1951's "The Red Inn", but without the humour, which it could have probably used. The photography is frequently dazzling and the dynamic editing and expressionistic camera angles are employed well but the story and characters are bland and uninteresting and none of the dialogue is memorable in any way. Still of interest for its amosphere and look, as well as the creepy evocation of everyday backwater supernatural belief hanging over it, but it adds up to nothing and is forgotten almost before the credits roll.

Sortilèges is an excellent film made by Christian-Jaque, a french director known by his comedies, on a marvellous scenario from Jacques Prévert. it shows that the french poet he was made very good films without Marcel Carné, the director he is too much associated. The film is very dark (as its B&W) and takes place in a little village lost in the mountain. The contrast between the murder and the snow is very symbolical. Besides the french love story between two young fellows, the character of the Bellman (Lucien Coëdel) has a very interessant psychology. Unfortunately, the film is nowadays totally forgotten and I doubt that people could see it easily... but a piracle may always happen ! In this case, I hope that my point of view will be shared and that Sortilèges will cross the Atlantic to be appreciated !