Razumov: Sous les yeux d'occident

Despite Marc Allegret's assured direction, excellent production design, sense of period and a high calibre cast this is a thinned down, diluted and totally inadequate adaptation of Conrad's monumental novel in which characters are either woefully underwritten or dispensed with altogether.

The film does however provide a great vehicle for rising star Pierre Fresnay who had already distinguished himself in the theatre, impressed as Marius in 'Fanny'(again for Allegret) and is one year away from his iconic role as Boeldieu in 'La Grande Illiusion'. He brings his customary sensitivity to the tragic character of Razumov, an apolitical man caught up in events beyond his control and pursued by an implacable fate. In keeping with this anodyne version the gruesome punishment inflicted on Razumov by the revolutionaries has been omitted.

Doing the best they can in this truncated treatment are Michel Simon, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Renoir, Daniele Parola and a singularly sinister Jacques Copeau as Privy Councillor Mikulin.

The subject matter of Conrad's original has always been contentious as he firmly believed in the futility of revolutionary movements which are invariably hijacked by what he called 'narrow-minded fanatics and tyrannical hypocrites' and in which 'hopes are grotesquely betrayed and ideals caricatured'. Historical events of course have proved him to be correct.

It is to be lamented that no other director has attempted to do justice to Conrad's text and given the age, literacy and attention span of today's average film goer, that is certain to remain the case.

Although it's never mentioned,the story seems to take place in Russian before the 1917 revolution.The murdered government man could be some kind of Stolypine (although Rasputin was probably responsible for it whereas the killer is a revolutionary man.

Razumov (Fresnay) is a happy student who hides his head in the sand.Whereas his mates are concerned by politics and talking about a revolution,he does not seem to notice that the tables are beginning to turn .Not a bad guy,but a guy who has big ambitions and who does not want them to be ruined by activism.

One day,an assassin (Barrault) (see above) comes knocking to his door knowing that he is loyal.But a loyal man does not feel like giving shelter to a terrorist with the police hot on his heels.But ,without being aware of it,he is already caught up in the system.All that he does backfires against him.

In Switzerland (where else?) he is welcomed as a hero;his pal was sentenced to death and shot .Razumov did not want such a thing but he was incapable of taking sides and acquiring an attitude about the situation.The best scene shows a giant poster of the dead student ,looking Razumov in his eyes :this presence is so intense it leaves the audience ill at ease .The hero,already smitten with remorse cannot stand his "glory" and the admiration the others feel for him anymore.

Generally dismissed as badly directed ,"Sous les Yeux d'Occident" ,in spite of his obvious flaws (too many plot holes) ,is an intriguing work which reminds me more of Jorge Luis Borges than of Joseph Conrad. who wrote the novel.

Like this?try this :

"La strategia del ragno" Bernardo Bertolucci. (1970)