Les Gauloises bleues

Set in the Parisian slums, this French film paints a surrealistic picture of a lost soul. Abandoned by his father and taken away from his mother by welfare workers, Ivan grows into a directionless man. The telling events in his childhood and adult life are randomly intercut with macabre fantasy sequences involving his girlfriend, his mother, her lover and various social workers and government officials. There are humorous moments mostly achieved by Georges Demestre, who is excellent as Ivan. A typical tableaux illustrates the movie's theatrical sensibility, as in Annie Giradot's lengthy monologue where she argues to an (unseen) judge for the return of her son. Despite this and other fairly emotional moments, the movie is overrun with heavy symbolism that weighs down the basically simple story. The juxtaposition of these elements holds interest and creates a chilling, downbeat mood, but the film is too confusing to be satisfying.

It was writer Michel Cournot's one and only movie as a director,though he wrote the screenplay of "Ursule et Grelut " ,directed by Serge Korber ,although featuring Annie Girardot.

Although praised to the skies by some critics at time of release,it failed totally to convince the mainstream audience and was a scathing fiasco at the box-office.

Some call it artistic ,I'd rather call it arty ;some call it heady ,I'd rather call it headache ; Monteverdi's music over pretentious cast and credits and one knows what to expect : a meaningful,deep , seff-conscious movie which turns a banal melodrama into a lecture on the underdogs .

Ivan and his wife are expecting a baby ; he remembers his past :his mother and his father were denied his custody and the unfortunate son wound up in state custody (on a farm?); both his parents (Annie Girardot and Bruno Cremer ) are filmed in close shot when they are questioned by the judge ,whose face one never sees ( Truffaut's "les quatre cents coups " influence).

As it was 1968,Cournot was anxious to get new messages across ,politics were de rigueur :so there are boards of sacrificed minorities and a very special election : a single candidate and,as the notice boards for election posters claim :but there are more "leftish parties" you'll ever know,mind you. This hotchpotch features pictures of men in high position and others ,the connection escapes me,i fear......

If the movie is a plea for a square deal for the underprivileged , it significally fails in its purpose: if you were born an underdog , whatever you may do ,you're bound to endless night ,as the dramatic ending shows.