Bernard and Richard Lefranc are the two sons of a shipowner. The elder, Bernard, marries a wealthy heiress on the same day that the younger, Richard, marries a fisherman's daughter. Years later, both brothers have died at sea and their wives have passed away. Germaine, Richard's daughter, brings the grandfather closer to all his grandchildren.
"Face à l'ocean " is one of the lost treasures of the French silent age ; sometimes its directing seems to have put in verse ;not only because it uses magnificent lines from Jean Richepin about the raging sea and Victor Hugo's "l'art d'être grand -père"(the art of being a grandfather);directing is stunning, cinematography impressive and the screenplay ,in spite of the subject,is never maudlin.
Both wedding are celebrated the same day ,and there's a sharp contrast between them; the son who marries a wealthy heiress entertains his guests in the luxury mansion; they are starchy ,exchanging posh conversations, and drinking champagne ,but the feast goes through the motions of rejoicing .
On the other hand, the "black sheep" ,who has betrayed his class , has invited all the humble people around (hence the innovation,for he associates professionals with local extras ); the feast sounds realistic ,as the guests drink bolées (bowlfuls) of cider ; instead of the strings of the chic wedding, all dance to the sound of bagpipes and bombards ,but their joy is palpable .
But the sea is a hard mistress and claims human lives every day ; sea does not know social hierarchy and can drown the prestigious admiral as well as the humble fisherman.
Children do not know lower and upper classes either; although her granddady forbid her to see those folks in their lousy house , Germaine, the rich girl ,makes friends with the cousins she has met ,because their dad resembles hers (but she does not know they are brothers); she shares pastries with them ;the young boy has probably never eaten a chocolate eclair before;she follows the socialist (or Christian )tenet to the letter : a Robin Hood of sorts ,she steals her granddaddy 's dinner to give it to her new friends ; she's read Hugo's poems and she teaches her distant selfish granddad to give all to his family ; the maternal grandparents did not need riches to make their grandchildren happy.
A wonderful movie, which should be looked upon as a classic of the French silent era.
