Manon (1949) Online

MANON may well be Clouzot's misanthropic riposte to the terrible injustice he suffered in post-war France when he was accused of making a "collaborationist" film, LE CORBEAU, and subsequently barred from working in the French film industry for five years as punishment. (LE CORBEAU is in fact the only film that I know of made during the Pétain era that presented any sort of subversive threat to that collaborationist regime; one which, let it not be forgotten, was officially recognised by the USA, the Soviet Union, and The Vatican).

It is as if Clouzot wanted to show both the depths to which humans will sometimes sink in order to pursue their own personal well-being, (collaborating with evil), as well as the greater moral outrage of war and its aftermath, which never somehow seems to eclipse or exceed society's trivial and self-righteous moral preoccupation with human sexuality. It is a film about survival in a society which has become brutalised and desensitised by war, where racketeers, gangsters and prostitutes resort to any means or method as they ruthlessly take the measure of the hypocrisy of the dominant ideology and act in kind. Totally apolitical, feckless and bereft of any human sympathy for anyone but themselves, they become a bleak and grotesque underclass that has taken "the rules of the game" to its logical, hideous, and heartless conclusion.

Manon, the central character, is not so much slut turned prostitute, as prostitute turned slut. Dehumanised by the experience of the war and the cruel retribution that subsequently scape-goated women whose only "crime" of collaboration was to have sex with German soldiers whom their own government had described as "guests", (and which are now re-written into history as "occupiers"), she sees sex as a means to an end; her only available weapon in her own personal war of survival in a cruel and cynical world.

But, although to all intents and purposes she has long since convinced herself that she has consciously extinguished any kind or compassionate part of her nature, or human fellow-feeling she might once have had, it returns with an ironic and cruel vengeance when she meets someone whom she really loves. Like Lulu in PANDORA'S BOX, the first and only time she shows a genuine acte-gratuite of human kindness, her fate becomes sealed, and this "weakness" becomes the very means and vehicle by which she will meet her downfall. As a heartless tart she can make it, but as a vulnerable loving human, she is doomed.

When she and her lover flee as illegal immigrants to try and find happiness in Palestine, she is shot in the desert by marauding Arabs, and dies in the arms of her lover; one of cinema's most powerful and memorable scenes in which he buries her corpse in the sand, but cannot bring himself to finally cover her face.

Originally banned in the UK but passed with cuts by the London Council, (even then, they ordered no less than 10 cuts in the film's trailer!!), it has, as a result, become a forgotten and lost film, and if remembered at all, (as is so often the case in these matters), it is for the "controversy" it caused when it was new, despite the fact that it was awarded The Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. A gesture which, I suspect, also reflected the jury's contempt for the post-war injustice meted out to Clouzot over LE CORBEAU.

Clouzot was one of the world's most gifted directors, and all his films merit not just one, but several viewings, and MANON is one of his very best.

"Manon" might well be Clouzot's masterpiece ,surpassing even "diabolique " " le salaire de la peur" or "le corbeau".

It's an adaptation of "l'histoire de Manon Lescault et du chevalier des Grieux" by L'Abbé Prévost, a novel from the XVIIIth century ,but never mind.When HGC Clouzot takes a novel,he makes it his very own .He would do the same for detective story " celle qui n'était plus " which he completely rewrote for "les diaboliques"

Clouzot's misanthropy has never been so omnipresent that in this opus.He became an outcast after the liberation in 1945 because of his "collaboration" -"le corbeau " was produced by a German firm-and one cannot help but think that his painting of the end of WW2 seems a settling of scores:the cropped women -they say it happened to the star of "le corbeau " Ginette Leclerc who had a lot of problems too-,the black market ,the war profiteers ,no one is spared in this wholesale massacre.Serge Regianni epitomizes the scumbag ,in a part which sometimes recalls that of Carné's "les portes de la nuit".But evil is not only inside him,it's everywhere :Clouzot's world is noir ,noir ,noir and leaves absolutely no hope to the audience .

And however the way he films his lovers is stunning:on the ship, Manon under the pouring rain,trying to spend her last hours with Robert;Manon ,in the confessional,in a church in ruins ,explaining to Robert she did not do any harm to anyone and that, had the American come first ,she would not have played around with the Germans ;the first night of love where the lovers become shadows in the dark;Robert finding Manon in a brothel;Manon desperately searching for her lover in the overcrowded carriage ;and mainly mainly the extraordinary final scenes the romanticism of which surpassing even the frenzied passion of "Colorado territory" or "duel in the sun".Actually ,Clouzot's extravaganza is not unlike Von Stroheim's "greed" 's madness.

The male lead ,Michel Auclair,is absolutely extraordinary :the last ten minutes are his and he 's so moving that he carries these sequences in the desert single -handedly as much as he carries Manon' s dead body.But Clouzot's directing will leave you on the edge of your seat as well:the long walk under a blistering sun ,the cactuses which become ghosts from the past ,Robert burying Manon in the sand and screaming that now she's his at last.

Cécile Aubry (debut) portrays Manon . Seven years before Carroll Baker in "baby doll", she is a femme enfant -much more than a femme fatale-.She's not evil,but she lives in a hostile world and she does not want to live like her mother,she needs luxury;it's a sensitive character who feels remorse ,pain and loves Robert dearly even when she cheats on him outrageously.Her good-natured sexuality and her absence of hypocrisy predates that of Brigitte Bardot by seven years too.

Their problem is the world outside :that's why the key of the movie is the sequence in the oasis "why couldn't we stay here forever? " Manon asks.As they leave this haven of peace -the only minutes of happiness in the whole movie" ,Clouzot films their reflections in the cool clear water.And the fact that Manon and Robert are looking for a promise land in the desert in the company of Jews ,what a symbol!"paradise is too far away"she says.

The rest of the cast features some of the best actors of the era:Serge Regianni,Manon's dirty brother;Gabrielle Dorziat ,a madam ,screaming "quel bordel!" ; Helena Manson,the nurse in "le corbeau" who wants to punish the whore who sleeps with the enemy;and more and more and more..

Another permanent feature in Clouzot's work is the sordidness of the places:the crummy boarding-school of "les diaboliques" ,the seedy apartments in "quai des orfèvres" ,the poor hospital in "les espions" ,and here the ship where they pack Jews on their way to Palestine ,not to mention the desert with its animal skeletons -soon to be joined by those of the Jews-

The action of this movie is remarkably dense ,and its construction very subtle :the film begins with the illegal embarkation of the Jews ,and then ,at the least expected moment,the lovers appear for the first time and shortly afterwards tell the captain their sad story .

Did French cinema need the nouvelle vague so bad when it had a genius like Clouzot?"Manon" is an absolute must.

N.B.1.Another modern "Manon" "Manon 70" (sic) was made in the sixties with Catherine Deneuve ,but it was laughable.

2.Cécile Aubry's actress career was short-lived;in the sixties ,she moved into the -rather bland- serial for children ,the likes of "Belle et Sebastien" featuring her own son;she was very successful.

My first contact with MANON was at age 11 when it played many weeks at the small PLAZA in Washington, DC. The ads said, "Cecile Aubry's gift to the world --- Her body!" To which my older brother said, "What body? She doesn't have one!" Hmm! My poor brother; what does he know? Anyway, I didn't see MANON in 1949, but 56 years later, thanks to eBay, I caught up on this classic, and without disappointment. This film has the authentic feel of classics like Italy's "Bicycle Thief" and "Paisan" --- having the ravages of World War II right there and everywhere you look in 1949, neither war-torn Europe nor attitudes needed to be re-created. The story is involving from the first moments and never lets up. Manon and her soul-mate Robert meet when he helps save her from the collaborator-head-shave she's sentenced to endure as punishment for her attentions to German soldiers. They will remain together throughout her numerous and shameless infidelities, each of which serves both of them, and never with any loss of love for Robert. Cecile Aubry's femme-innocent was a rare thing to see in 1949. Truly experienced men know that getting and holding a young woman like Manon is a never-ending challenge that no real man would ever quit. While traditional "built like a brick you-know-what" sexpots wait in vain for the phone to ring, the femme-innocents are fighting men off like flies. This film will show the viewer many of the dark sides of the pre- and post- liberation era which history might like to have buried. I'll skip over most of the compelling story and just say that the final scenes, when the couple arrive in Palestine along with the Jewish refugees --- these are scenes that define classic movies. Amen!

With his short CV, Henri-George Clouzot is known only for his international hits, WAGES OF FEAR and DIABOLIQUE, yet every newfound title turns out to be a near masterpiece. This updated take on the infamous Prevost tale (operatic versions include Auber, Massenet & Puccini) is a notch below breathtaking 'finds' like QUAI DES ORFEVRES, LE CORBEAU and his striking film of the Verdi REQUIEM. But on its own terms it's ingenious & effective, perfectly fitting the story into the morally ambiguous climate of post WWII France.

As the heedless young beauty who loves the rich life when she should love her besotted spouse (and vice versa), Cecile Aubry makes an appalling & devastating French sex-kitten, admittedly, an acquired taste. Michel Auclair, in Gerard Philipe mode, is very fine as her tormented husband and Serge Reggiani as Manon's amoral brother is beyond praise. And who but Clouzot would have the chutzpah to merge Manon's exile to a group of Jewish refugees trying to smuggle themselves into Israel.

NOTE: This title is currently unavailable in ANY video format. Is there no justice?!

Planning to watch 5 French films connected to the Occupation of France,I struggled to find a suitable title which would show what effect the end of the Occupation had on French cinema.Taking a look at a fellow IMDbers reviews,I stumbled across a film which co- writer/(along with Jean Ferry)director Henri-Georges Clouzot had made as a response to getting banned from making movies for 5 years by the French Resistance over his previous film being seen as critical against the Resistance,which led to me getting ready to meet Manon.

The plot:

France-The late 1940s: Hearing strange noises from the cargo bay of their boat,the crew discover 2 stowaways called Robert Dégrieux and Leon Lescaut.With Dégrieux being wanted for murder,the ships captain prepares to bring them in,but is stopped in his tracks by Lescaut,who tells the captain that he must allow Dégrieux to explain what they are running away from.

France-The early-mid 1940s:

Joining some American soldiers in their battle to free a city, Dégrieux find the local residence surrounding Lescaut,who they want to humiliate via shaving her head,due to having strong suspicions that Lescaut is a Nazi collaborator.Wanting Lescaut to face the full justice of the law, Dégrieux pulls Lescaut from the crowd,and takes her back to his hideout.Planning to give her over to his superiors, Dégrieux finds that despite being sickened by Lescaut's past activities,that he is unable to stop himself from falling in love with Lescaut.

With the libation of France from Hitler,the young couple find themselves in a small apartment and low-paying jobs.Dazzled by new material possessions flooding the high streets, Dégrieux promises Lescaut that he will spend every penny he has on getting all the luxury goods that she desires.Being well aware of the low wage Dégrieux is on,Lescaut decides that the only way she can live the life that she so desires,is to secretly enter the underworld once again.

View on the film:

Banned from making films from 1943-1947 (when Quai des Orfèvres was made) Jean Ferry and co-writer/director Henri-Georges Clouzot's loose adaptation of Abbé Prévost's novel "L'Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut" burns with an unrelenting fury. Transferring the XVIIIth century set book to the '40s,the writers attack every area of Occupied/Post-War France with a Film Noir heart,as Lescaut obsession with the consumer culture is shown to be a soulless entity which pulls Lescaut back into the darkness of the war time era. Attacking those who had made him an outcast,Clouzot's shows the former "The Resistance" fighters to be cold hearted devils,who along with accepting everything at face value,are also determined to block any sunlight from entering Dégrieux & Lescaut relationship.

Hitting back at those who had tried to make him fall,(talk about getting on the wrong side of the guy!) director Henri-Georges Clouzot and cinematographer Armand Thirard seal Dégrieux & Lescaut in a merciless Film Noir world,as Clouzot subtly uses a charcoal depth of field to show that even gold can not glitter in this world,with Clouzot giving the title a chilling atmosphere of impending doom,by scattering tightly coiled tracking shots to show the dark world closing in on Dégrieux and Lescaut.

Empathizing the bleak mood built in the indoor scenes,Clouzot gives the outdoor scenes a very contrasting appearance,thanks to Clouzot painting the outdoors as a stark,burning white desert wasteland,which along with allowing Clouzot to take a little dip into Adventure-movie mode(!),also gives Clouzot the chance to take a mature allegorical route in showing how wrong his critics were,as Dégrieux & Lescaut find their one moment of happiness in the promise land.

Offering his heart and all the jewels that she desires, Michel Auclair gives an extraordinary,gritty performance as Robert Dégrieux, Initially appearing calm and collective, Auclair pulls everyone of Dégrieux's nerves out to reveal his vulnerability towards Lescaut,as Auclair shows Dégrieux to be a Film Noir loner, who's growing obsession with Lescaut leads him to an ocean of death. Appearing like a fragile doll,the beautiful Cécile Aubry sets the film alight as burning hot femme fatale Manon Lescaut. Striking a fine balance,Aubry gives Lescaut a sweet, joyful nature which gets under Dégrieux skin,which is countered with Lescaut's hard-edge fight for all that she desires,as Lescaut reveals to Dégrieux the real resistance.

I have seen this film a long time ago, perhaps in 1958 at Prague Film School (FAMU). It still haunts me, unlike many, many other entirely forgettable "movies", I would love to have a copy. The film has an essence of what my generation lived, what my children have forgotten, and what we are powerless to remind them of.

I can imagine that Clouzot took on the task of filming this classic with a lot of trepidation: it's just not his kind of story. A picaresque novel of 1734, with aristocratic ideals in conflict with a sordid story was not going to be well-handled by a director who pioneered the noir form in France. His forte was telling a gritty story with characters stretched to the breaking point (as Montand and Vanel were in Wages of Fear). It required a great deal of updating and tinkering with the basic story before Clouzot could feel comfortable with it.

Cecile Aubry does not impress me with her acting skills; she mainly pouts and sighs her way through the picture. How much more could Danielle Darrieux or Micheline Presle have brought to the film! Michel Auclair was a superb leading man who made many films, this is one of his best (see him also in Maigret et l'affaire Saint-Fiacre). Here he manages to convey desire, murderous rage and exasperation with Manon's whims. Dora Doll and her big toothy grin, as well as Gabrielle Dorziat as the prim madam of Manon's brothel were good, but Serge Reggiani as Manon's brother stole every scene he was in.