Jacquou le croquant

I saw this movie in the avant-premiere in a little cinema in the Dordogne. The music in this movie is very enchanting, the images are almost like paintings, so beautifully shot, such a fantastic nature. This movie is very powerful with lots of drama and love. Laurent Boutonnat has definitely evolved artistically since his last movie Giorgino (1994). Also the music, besides the classical Boutonnat elements, like arpeggios of violins, synthesizers mixed with acoustical instruments, ethnic instruments, in-versed chords and simple melodies, has definitely evolved. The main character (Jacquou), played by Gaspard Ulliel is very believable. The title song is sung by the French icon Mylène Farmer.

I had the memory of a "Jacquou Le Croquant", hero of a TV mini-series of my childhood, who had lost his parents by the fault of an aristocrat and more generally because of the post-Napoleonean social classes system, and who came to a revenge by leading a revolt especially against that social system and against the man which incarnates the cause of the tragedy of his family. On the basis of that, one expects to see a social fresco full of various emotions that goes along with the rich History of France of that period: tragedy, love, revenge, popular revolt (revolution against the established order), freedom seeking, and other great emotions which accompany this kind of epic stories… But it is not the case.

The narration is too slow and really insipid. The actors are just as pale as the story and its rhythm. What a waist for such a beautifully photographed picture! If one can afford to see Laurent Boutonnat's version of "Jacquou" is solely because it's good-looking at. Costumes and the decoration are really really superb! The director definitely is a good director of photography, and even a good soundtrack composer but certainly not a storyteller, definitely not a director.

I'm not a connoisseur of French cinema, so this movie was an incursion into little-known land for me. It was based on a book that I never found in a book-store, so I do not know how to judge the quality of the adaptation. About the film, specifically, I can say that I did not think it was totally bad, but it could be downright better. The film entertains, but it is too melodramatic, is loaded with exaggerated appeals to the sentimentality and, at times, sounds absurd.

Let's start with the positive aspects ... among the actors, the young Leo Legrand stands out in a sentimental and emotional interpretation, Marie-Josée Croze in a brave character and Jocelyn Quivrin, who managed to turn the villain into a truly despicable figure. Gaspard Ulliel, Albert Dupontel and Olivier Gourmet, despite the prominence of their characters, did only what they had to do. The dialogues and interpretations did not prevail for the dedication, but fulfilled with the minimum required. The scenarios, the construction of the period environments and the costumes are very good, emphasizing the historical rigour. The soundtrack sounded just as good.

The plot starts from a very interesting idea, which is a story of revenge and struggle against injustice in the midst of post-Napoleonic France ... a time when royal power wanted to reverse the most radical ideas of the revolutionary period and come back to the old order. After an injustice that cost the life of his father, Jacquou will devote his life to fighting the man behind his misfortune. The problem starts with the amount of clichés that are appearing, and that get worse as the film moves towards the end. The siege of the castle is truly unbelievable, just like the scenes in the underground or love triangle in the movie. The action scenes are awful, some of them totally absurd and unrealistic.

This movie is not a total waste of time, but it is very close to it and saved only by the details.

If cinematography and period settings were not present, this film wouldn't be able to get any attention. Why? OK, here I go. First thing, above all others, is that when anybody attempts to make a popcorn flick outside of the States, the product will fail, for sure.

Second, the idea is good, but the rendering of it came out pretty lame with the thankful exceptions of a few shots, especially when Leo (the younger Jaquou) is present. But, all in all, it's a very predictable, un-original and so-so film.

Third, it's an action film so full of clichés that, with a grain of imagination, it turns out to be as dull as a Big Mac.

French films, when they're true to their origin, are usually reflective, deep, difficult, full of drama and demanding for most audiences. But, in this particular occasion, joining some other flops, enormous amounts of money went down the drain -literally, if you've already seen this film.

Olivier Gourmet, one of the most talented actors in France, could make some people, like me, watch this film. Please, if you like Olivier's previous work, don't. He's, to say the least, sketchy.

Jacquou le Croquant is a good production that is unfortunately too long and too slow. Some parts are unnecessary and could have been taken out, or at least shortened. These two flaws will turn off a lot of people.

However, if you can keep up with the snail pace, the movie is pretty good with a fair mix of action and touching moments. The first part of the story follows Jacquou as a young boy who loses both of his parents, and ends up being taken care of by the churchman of the village. The second part covers his revenge against the man who is responsible for the death of his parents now that he is a young man.

The dialogues and acting isn't all that great, but the actor(s) playing Jacquou is cute as a kid and handsome as an adult (the two lead actresses are very beautiful as well). The sceneries and imagery is simply breathtaking and the melodies enchanting. The movie is definitely great to look at, if anything, despite the weak storyline (but still does the job of staying interesting all the way through).

Jacquou le Croquant is nothing special, but to the right audience it's a good movie in all respect.