Madame Sans Gêne

Catherine Lefebvre,Duchesse de Danzig ,was a pure Parisian:so casting Sophia Loren and her Italian accent is beyond me.Particularly if you have seen Roger Richebé's version (1941) starring Arletty.Arletty shone in this part which was tailor made for her:she was hilariously funny,which Loren is not.When compared to the actresses who played the part on stage (Jacqueline Maillan,Sophie Desmarets) Loren's performance is lackluster.The same goes for Robert Hossein,an excellent thespian ,but who is ill-at-ease in a comedy .

Only the second part is an adaptation of the Sardou/Moreau play.The first one is filmed on location and deals with Napoleon's wars ,but as historian Jean Tulard writes,everything rings bad.This second part,which takes place in the court of the Emperor ,is supposed to be funny:I dare you to laugh once.The subplot (which involved Napoleon,Marie-Louise and Neipperg) was ruled out to make room for the ridiculous scenes with the Prussians.

It's a long way from "Fanfan la Tulipe" ,Christian-Jaque's and Henri Jeanson's fans! The story was actually watered-down in the play:the historic Marechale was a crude vulgar woman whose manners beggared belief.

I haven't read the original play nor have I seen previous adaptations, so I can make no comparisons. But I can tell you, regardless of other versions, that this is a thoroughly enjoyable film with great acting, magnificent sets, witty dialogue and an unusual theme.

First let's talk about the unusual theme. This film is much like the celebrated stories of Guy de Maupassant, using an epic situation as a backdrop and instead telling a very common, human (and humorous) story. In this way, it reduces the epic backdrop to the absurd whilst focusing instead on the importance of individuals in their not-so-epic lives. In other words, this is anti-history. I know I didn't explain that very well, so I'll give you an example instead: Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" is a perfect illustration, set against the American Civil War yet trivializing the war and instead focusing on 3 gunslingers fighting their own private war. Comedy, wit & irony are key in telling an ironic story like this, and "Madame Sans-Gêne" (as well as "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly") pulls it off brilliantly, largely due to the larger-than-life presence of Sophia Loren in the role of Catherine Sans-Gêne.

There's a line early in the film where the revolutionaries are storming the Tuileries Palace, and they pass by Catherine's laundry shop asking her if she'll come along. She laughs and replies, "No thanks, I already stormed the Bastille last week!" and continues with her laundry. This is the kind of Maupassantian humour I described above, and the film is full of it.

Robert Hossein delivers a marvelous performance as Catherine's husband, the handsome yet awkward provincial (a miller's son) who gets swept up in the epic and gets promoted to royalty. I've only seen Hossein in his heroic, swashbuckling roles, so it was a real treat to see him playing the role of a maladroit oaf for once. His goofy expressions, clumsy gait and general goofiness had me in stitches every time. If you're not familiar with Robert Hossein, try to imagine someone like maybe Christopher Walken playing the part of a nerd. That's the comedy I'm talking about.

I give another thumbs up to Julien Bertheau who plays the "little General" himself, Napoleon. His character is a real douchebag, but you love him for it, and you may even gain an appreciation for the infamous egomaniac who was thrust into one of the most absurd situations in history (leading a nation that had just overthrown its monarchy yet was all too eager to re-create the same monarchy, only with different faces).

I don't think you need to be a student of French history to appreciate this film. It tells a timeless story of the silliness of government, revolution, war, corruption & back to government ...and the loud-mouthed laundress who didn't seem to be affected by any of it. Watch it & enjoy!

Those who wish to watch a good early 60s historical entertainment can look for ‘Madame Sans Gêne‘, the 1961 film by Christian-Jaque. The historical character of the laundress in revolutionary Paris who married one of Captain Bonaparte’s sergeants and became a duchess at the court of the Empire was popularized by a play that had already been brought to screen in two famous adaptations, one from the silent film era with Gloria Swanson in the title role, the other starring the sparkling and very popular French cabaret and screen star of the 30s and 40s, Arletty. Why another adaptaation? At least two reasons, I think: the advances in color film that made this version of ‘Madame Sans Gêne‘ visually look like a historical blockbuster, and the presence in the title role of the incomparable Sophia Loren.

Catherine Hubscher (real historical character) began by washing Captain Bonaparte’s underpants in the days when his regiment was making the final assault that would bring down royalty. She falls in love with Sergeant Lefebvre whom she follows, mostly out of jealousy, in the campaigns of Bonaparte, who had become a general. An incident that happens only in the movies (or, if you wish, in theatre plays) makes of the two a little imprudent and a little indifferent to the rules of military discipline lovers the heroes who decide a battle with the Austrians. In a decade we will meet them (raised to the ranks of duke and duchess in the new European order) at the imperial court. Napoleon, now emperor, decides to make Lefebvre king, but the duchess’s foul mouth and rough manners will jeopardize the emperor’s plans and the two’s careers.

Christian-Jaque already had the experience with successful historical cape and sword films, but also with romantic comedies. The two genres meet successfully, being grafted onto the text adapted from the French classic. The reconstruction of the period is done with cinematic tools from the arsenal of historical super-productions of the time, without any savings in period costumes (from uniforms to court ladies’ dresses) or in the number of extras. The dialogues are partly taken from the play and the characters and language humor works unexpectedly well on screen. Sophia Loren shines, with silhouette-flattering gowns and a comical temper that seems hard to contain. It is not easy to be Sophia Loren‘s partner, but Lefebvre is excellently played by Robert Hossein, who was otherwise a complex filmmaker, actor and director, today a little unfairly forgotten. I also liked Julien Bertheau who plays Napoleon, an actor I know less of, who shows real comedic qualities. ‘Madame Sans Gêne‘ is an entertainment of the 60s that after another 60 years still has the quality to captivate and entertain audiences.

A very nice film about a washwoman who becomes the wife of an important militairyman during the napoleontic period. Sophia Loren is really sublime in beauty and in acting. It's a forgotten gem.

Sophia Loren is the sole star of this expensive-looking but empty costume picture, in which she plays a washer-woman with ready opinions who, after adventurous goings-on, gains status in the napoleonic times.

It is such a shame to see this film that came out in the same year that Loren won an Oscar for her great performance in Two Women. In Madame, she is only used to bring in the charm (which she does, as always) and to display her undeniably shapely bosom through a constantly wet dress, as in some cheap wet T-shirt competition.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the only thought that the producer or the director had in mind; the plot is very undramatically presented, the latter part of this relatively short film seems slow and the rest of the cast is wasted. The film is obviously expensive and good-looking, but the opulent sets and costumes only underline the unimaginativeness of the presentation.

For those only whose interest in Loren's breasts is enough to keep them satisfied. Others avoid.