Falbalas

The first of Jacques Becker's films to bear the credit "Un film de Jacques Becker", thus attesting to his growing stature within the industry.

Having essayed a French equivalent of 'Cold Comfort Farm' during the Occupation with 'Goupi Mains Rouges', Becker next made a characteristic about turn to provide a bit of glossy escapism shot before the Liberation but released in 1945 with this hothouse drama set within the frivolous and insulated world of Parisian haute couture. Christian Dior's 'New Look' being still two years away, the woman all wear wartime padded suits and terrifying frizzy big hair, through the midst of which struts the fox in this henhouse, designer Raymond Rouleau, who exercises droit du seigneur with a new model played by a baby-faced Micheline Presle before he comes a spectacular cropper when he becomes genuinely besotted with her.

This is my first Jacques Becker film but I don't think it will be my last. I like the way this director tells his story of obsessive love, undercutting the innate heaviness of such a theme by including numerous interesting Parisian quirks and detours, like the merry go round in the Tuileries that evoke the louche couturier Clarence's childhood, an upper crust French family that provokes and teases each other while aggressively playing table tennis, and the chic restaurant where Clarence feels so at home flaunting his latest conquest. I also enjoy Becker's numerous forays into the fevered, chauvinistic world of Parisian fashion design where an abusive, charming man at the apex presides over an army of female employees who both dislike and adore him, in equal measure. Finally, I like the performance of Raymond Rouleau as Clarence. It is so good that I almost felt sorry for the callous butthole who has finally fallen in love, as opposed to falling in lust...with his best friend's wife to be, natch. And as the object of his affection Micheline Presles, who I'm happy to say celebrated her 100th b-day last month, is properly beautiful, sexy and innocent and with just enough integrity to frustrate Clarence and cause him grief at the end. Also good were Gabrille Dorziat and Jeanne Fusier-gir as Clarence's two senior worker drones, the later kind of channeling in looks and manner a Gallic Thelma Ritter (not a bad thing!).

So why a 9 instead of a 10? Proceedings become too Grand Guignol at the end with whatever is the French equivalent of scenery chewing rearing its histrionic head and the love scenes with Rouleau and Presles have a tendency to drag. Becker wisely soft peddled them.

Bottom line: Call me Freddy Philistine, but I liked it better than "Phantom Thread". A minus.

"Falbalas" in Becker's career,is the follow-up to "Goupi Mains-Rouges". The second one took place in a very peasant milieu,the former introduces Philippe,a Parisian top designer,as well as a heartbreaker.(Raymond Rouleau who would direct "les sorcières de Salem",from Arthur Miller with Yves Montand and Simone Signoret)The two works could not be more different,and it's hard to believe they were made by the same director.

So the Don Juan falls in love with his friend Daniel's Micheline (Micheline Presles) and seduces her.But she will discover how selfish and frivolous he is and she will leave him.He realizes that he did love her deeply and it's too late.

Here lies the connection between "Falbalas" and "Goupi mains rouges".Philippe becomes mad ,dances with a dummy dressed up as a bride.This recalls Goupi-Tonkin,one character of the precedent work,but it's not as convincing:Philippe's lunacy appears too abruptly,in a totally unexpected way,whereas Goupi-Tonkin's one grows little by little to a stunning and logical final.

Thanks to the two leads,"Falbalas " is nevertheless a commendable work. The best is the documentary side,the depiction of the fashion world.And even if the ending seems unlikely,Becker has such a fine way of filming it!

Raymond Rouleau is a successful Parisian fashion designer who sleeps with his models and then dumps them -- as lovers; he keeps them around professionally. He's preparing the show for his spring line, and it's already high summer, so he's naturally frazzled when his friend, fabric merchant Jean Chevrier, introduces his fiancee, Micheline Presle. This time, Rouleau realizes, it's love.

It's a world that looks familiar to anyone who's seen the recent THE PHANTOM THREAD, a tiny world of professional obsession and power. Director Jacques Becker uses techniques that suggest the burgeoning film noir, like the femme fatale, telling the story in flashback, and so forth, but we're still in dark magical realism territory. The DP is the much admired Nicolas Hayer, who shoots the women as old and a bit weary looking, except for some key scenes. It's shocking to see Mlle Presle looking considerably older than her 24 at the time of shooting. She's till around as I write this, about to turn 100 next month. She hasn't been seen on the screen since 2014.

Philippe Clarence is not somebody you want to work for. Unfair with his most faithful employee, Solange, his provider & friend Daniel Rousseau (Comédie member Jean Chevrier), his devotional former girlfriend Anne-Marie, his current girlfriend Lucienne, all her employees, obviously his accountant, all his other girlfriends (she keeps their dresses, with tags for their "periods")... but for Micheline Lafaurie, Daniel's bride. His new conquest takes the place of everything. His collection of course, some sort of respect for her in house ex, . But no, her place at his private wardrobe "the cemetery" as Lucienne aptly names it while arguing.

Everybody must have their favourite character, mine is Gabrielle Dorziat as Solange, the only one that, maybe is not under the influx of passion, has a cool head to see all that happens, making things happen and being slightly grouchy and accepting, as it must be :). She is always putting up with everything, this would be her phrase: "Don't try to understand, it's not the moment now!". Paulette (Fusier-Gir) is her sidekick, there is also plump "Juliette", and stout Lucille, all vital for contrast with the beautiful women and the scarce male figures. For it's a women's world! Useful for us males to veer into something we probably would never have access to. The contrast between the customers ("baronesses" carrying dogs), the working women of the workshop, the models and the customers is "social stratification" put into good use.

Françoise Lugagne is also perfect. The way she walks out of Clarence's says it all. In a film that feast female beauty one should not be afraid to be frivolous. My "sexiest model" was Christiane Barry as "Lucienne", the sour girlfriend. Who has a fun paranoid scene at the bar on which the happy couple is having a date. "They are poking fun of me!!" she smirks to long suffering Mr. Murier, who only wanted his Camembert. The way she leaves into a cloud of smoke is a great brief scene! Not a great actress, she is given the best diagnose lines: "you're a madman! And something about his end that you'd better forget :). So is the lanky young blonde employee who hates Anne-Marie "puritanical", she calls her in the beginning, and while placing the chairs in order for the collection, is instrumental into her fate, mind you.

Jacques Becker made a time capsule of a little film, to be savoured in future generations. I can only glee in nostalgia by looking at the way people dressed, their naive pastimes (the ping-pong game followed by the huge family), and fashion that was actually nice to look at. And beautiful models, not skinny like nowadays :)!

Art Direction, Costume Design (Max Douy), even hats ("Gabrielle", not on IDMB) are well made! Music accompanies the scene and the "suspense" moments finely. The sound is pretty bad, as one would expect from a post WWII movie.

There was one horrible dress, the one Philippe gives Micheline to wear for their first date. She says "I look like a hen" and she does! In the film it is shown that everybody approves of it, but I wonder ... :).

Watch is as a portrait of a narcissist, if not for really being entertained.