"La vie et rien d'autre"

[gporta]

Among the gifts coming with the last holidays, there was a DVD of Bertrand Tavernier's 1989 film "La Vie et rien d'autre" (English title: Life and Nothing But). I believe it to be a fine film about Post-war France and, like Tavernier's later effort "Capitaine Conan", one of my favourite films on the subject.

1920, Major Delaplane (Phillipe Noiret, extraordinary) has the hard task of trying to clear the identity of the Missing soldiers of the French Army in the war. He tries to identify the corpses of the dead and bring back the memories of the shell-shocked amnesic survivors, and catalogues them systematically, while realizing that the powers that be are only interested in turning the page as soon as possible, and more concerned in concealing to the public opinion the magnitude of the tragedy. While old corpses are being found, all sorts of weapons left out in the fields of France keep causing new casualties.

Delaplane refuses superior orders to search for an anonymous corpse (which would become the French unknown soldier) as his aim -and what he perceives as his duty- is to recover the identities and memories of those who sacrificed their lives. A colleague of Delaplane undertakes the job, and his adventures in search of the "proper" candidates to become the unknown soldiers -according to bureaucracy-have comic and absurd overtones.

While Delaplane is engaged in his task, two women cross his path: one is a girl who has just lost her job as a schoolteacher (the assigned teacher having just been demobilized), and wants to find her lost fiancé. Another one is the widow (?) of the scion of a wealthy family. Despite their different backgrounds, these women become friendly over their shared grief.

Delaplane is irritated when the widow offers him an extra reward if he finds her husband: for one, he believes that all families -whether poor or rich- have the same rights to find about their loved ones. He also despises the in-laws of the woman, whom he regards as war profiteers. She is angered at what he considers bad manners and lack of consideration... though further events will make them understand each other's reasons.

Other characters are seen in the background, like the surviving veterans, trying to acquit themselves to live and love (even if the women they woo still expect their lost loved ones to come back), or the sculptor who regards the blooming of post-war memorials as a "golden Age" of handsomely paid commisions.

If anyone else has seen this film, I'll be glad to share opinions about it (add a "spoiler warning" note if revealing items of the plot are dealt with)

Gloria

[Desmond7]

Is this the one which features the Verdun post war exhumations very prominently? I seem to remember this from the time when BBC2 used to 'do' seasons of foreign films way back when the licence fee was worth paying?

[gporta]

Desmond,

There are scenes where relatives with authorization are allowed into a off-bounds railway zone where a train carrying men and ammunitions exploded inside a tunnel during the war. They are shown the items found in the (precariously carried out) excavations, in case people were familiar with any of the objects.

Soldiers keep working in the tunnel, being in danger of finding dangerous substances (toxic, explosive, etc) ... do you remember those scenes in the film you saw?

Gloria

[Desmond7]

The very one .. it was shown in the same series of films where an American WW1 soldier is wounded so badly that people think he is actually brain dead .. then all sorts of things happen which I won't go into!

As I remember 'your' film was incredibly bleak and shot in very dimmed tones? Deffo remember the railway scene ... will keep an eye out for it in the world cinema section!

[Paul Hederer]

The very one .. it was shown in the same series of films where an American WW1 soldier is wounded so badly that people think he is actually brain dead .. then all sorts of things happen which I won't go into!

As I remember 'your' film was incredibly bleak and shot in very dimmed tones? Deffo remember the railway scene ... will keep an eye out for it in the world cinema section!

Desmond the film you mention about the American soldier is "Johnny Got His Gun." A great anti-war picture (where are American films like this today?)

I've seen the other two movies mentioned, and found them superb. "Capitaine Conan", was released on DVD a bit back, and thank goodness the picture quality is much improved over the VHS tape. ""La vie et rien d'autre" I've watched more than once. Both great films.

Paul

[Steven Broomfield]

Agreed. I must have seen it in the same BBC2 series as Des. Very memorable, very sad.

[peter__m]

These films sound fantastic bits of art and war commentary...

[gporta]

As I remember 'your' film was incredibly bleak and shot in very dimmed tones? Deffo remember the railway scene ... will keep an eye out for it in the world cinema section!

Desmond, you're right that it is somewhat dimmed, but I thought it appropiate to the time and place in which the action took time. the photography looked to me fine, particularly thinking that the film is nearly 20 years old, it stands well the passage of time.

One memorable quote from the film (not the only one) is said by the widow when she refers to the surviving soldiers, and particularly Dellaplane who seems to have build a wall around himself: "It's a club (...) It will be a club for years to come, this club of those who won the war. And the losing side will have its club, too. You know why I think of clubs? Because women aren't admitted! "

Gloria

[Stephanie]

Ordered "La Vie et Rien d'autre" on friday night. Hopefully should come soon Thanks for the reccomendation!

[John S Sargent]

Based on everyone's recomendations, I ordered a copy of this from a reseller -- things being what they are, I didn't actually have a spare evening to see the film until two weeks ago.

It is, with all possible respect, a French film. The characters are believable and three-dimensional. It's not Jacques Tati, but there's believable humor. There's romance of a sort, and the historical take of all the activity around identifying the dead and choosing France's Unknown Warrior was presented well.

The fact that films like "La vie et rien d'autre" are made in France shows how close to the surface The Great War still is.

I suggest two more recent films, one French -- "A Very Long Engagement" -- and a French-German co-production on the 1914 Christmas truce (sorry I don't remember the title), both of which I have. Of course, I'll watch anything that has a Great War connection...