Le martyre de l'obèse

.... a comedy, with some few very sad moments. Pierre Chenal is still not enough recognized nowadays. Some might know "le Dernier Tournant" (because it is the first version of "the Postman Always Rings Twice") or "Rafles Sur la Ville" (with Piccoli, Mouloudji and Vanel) but who really knows his other films from the thirties with fantastic cast and inventive direction. And what about his true masterpiece "la Foire Aux Chimères" with Erich von Stroheim et Madeleine Sologne, still not available on DVD (and not even ever released on video cassette)? And I'm not talking about his films shot in Argentina, I would love to see them (I just saw "Section des Disparus", nice adaptation from William Irish).

In 1933, Pierre Chenal was tired of filming stones and tramps in documentaries. He met Christian Stengel who was going to produce his first movie, this "Martyre de l'Obèse". Chenal accepted it to realize his first fiction. It wasn't easy because of a lot of tension between him and the actors and technicians. The movie didn't work but Christian Stengel thought it was well done, so he produced and wrote other movies with Pierre Chenal, and real better ones.

"I consider Pierre as a nice man. Intelligent too : I trusted him when he began. After, there was friendship..." (Christian Stengel at Marly-le-Roi, 26-01-1985).

A first movie is seldom a masterpiece, but there are some good ideas in this one. Like at the banquet of the Club of 100 kilos, when the 17 guests get seated at the round table, a half moon of the table disappeared in front of each belly to let them install. An idea by Pierre Chenal who got inspired by Louis VI the Big.

Pierre Chenal's debut ,it is primarily a comedy with snatches of drama thrown in for good measure.But these continual hesitations throw the movie off balance.In the second part the big fat man falls in love with his friend's wife but he knows he will never be loved;this makes "Le Martyre De L'Obese" a blueprint for some of Chenal's movies ,particularly "Le Dernier Tournant" (which was the first version of "the postman always rings twice") and his masterpiece "La Foire Aux Chimères" :the not very handsome man who becomes a victim.Even if the hero from this movie concludes that life is worth living anyway even without the love of a woman,the ending leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

That said,I would recommend this movie to Chenal's completists,but only for them.