Decembr 15, 2016
Manon – France,
1949
“Unevenness” – thy name is Manon. In fact, this may be an understatement, for Manon seems unclear exactly what kind of
movie it is and whose story it is actually telling. Even more egregious, the
story it ultimately settles on turns out to be the least interesting one of the
two it could have chosen. After all, given the choice between traumatized
migrants looking for normalcy after their world went to hell would be much more
interesting than following the exploits of two uninteresting, on-the-run
slackers who are never able to make the case that the audience should care one
iota whether they stay together or not – a death knell if there ever was one in
a film of this sort.
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Manon
begins in the aftermath of World War II. Out at sea, we see a French ship pick
up passengers from three small boats. Money exchanges hands, and we hear a crew
member say that the passengers are Jewish. These clearly traumatized passengers
are led down to the ships cargo area – because it is the lowest area, thereby keeping
them out of sight of the French Navy – and in a scene that shows the dread that
still exist in them, we watch as they hear noises from the pipes and become
paralyzed with fear. One passenger breaks out into song, and even though they
all join in beautifully, it is impossible to shake the sense that they are
simultaneously lifting their spirits and preparing for the worst. Among these
passengers are old men and women, a few children and their caretakers, and one
or two couples that appear to be in their mid-twenties – newlyweds perhaps. I
naturally assumed that one of these pairs would be the focal point of the story
that follows.
Instead, the scene is interrupted by falling boxes, behind
which is a pair of fresh stowaways. Young, French, and obviously not of the
same faith as the other passengers, the two eventually bend the captain’s ear with
a tale that they hope will melt his cold heart and convince him not to turn the
young man over to French authorities. The man’s name is Robert Degrieux (Michel
Auclair); the woman traveling with him is Manon (Cecile Aubry).
Here the story shifts back in time, and, to the film’s
credit, their tale does indeed begin powerfully. We learn that Robert was a
member of the French Resistance during the war, while Manon was a worker in a
restaurant that catered to German soldiers. A few of her fellow villagers think
more than just serving customers went on, a charge that Manon denies, but which
as the film progresses the audience will be forgiven for believing. There early
scenes impressively capture the chaotic aftermath of the war, when villagers
turned against each other and many women who had cozied up to the Germans were
beaten and shaved bald. Filmed in what may have been actual World War II ruins,
these scenes have an authenticity that much of what follows lacks, and the film
is almost worth watching just for them.
Luckily for her, Manon is spared the wrath of the mob, and
eventually Robert is tasked with keeping an eye of her. She makes a run for it,
scratches his face, and hurls insults at him; he in turn wrestles her to the
ground and utters some pretty unsavory things about her, the kinds of things
that no true gentlemen would think about saying, not even about a woman he completely
abhors. No matter. Within five minutes, the two are professing their undying
love for each other and vowing to be together at all costs. I didn’t buy it for
a minute.
Part of the reason for this is by design. As Robert rushes
off to do something to save Manon, the camera focuses on her. Now alone in her
makeshift prison, we watch as a sinister smile spreads across her face. I got him, she seems to be saying. So
far so good, viewers can be forgiven for saying, for up until that point, the
film has not put its characters through anything that they can’t recover from.
There’s still time for Manon to learn to love Robert, and for Robert to prove
himself worthy of her love, yet, from here on in, the film can’t decide what
kind of story it is telling. It devolved into a story of depravity and emotional
cruelty, one part film noir, the other a distant cousin to Shohei Imamura’s The Insect Woman. We watch as Robert
becomes increasingly weaker and Manon reaches new depths of immorality. All the
while, Robert keeps pleading how much he loves her (a love that never feels
earned or requited), and the object of his love keeps doing anything – and I do
mean anything – for money. This would be fine if there were some altruistic
cause behind it, but there isn’t. Manon simply can’t stand the thought of being
poor or boring. Meanwhile, Robert becomes practically homicidal at times, much like
the Man in F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise, yet
without any of that character’s remorse and humility. Watching the two of them
is like watching two trains on the same track approaching each other at top
speed; you know what’s coming, and you would prefer to look away.
And then the film diverts, for no other reason than that it
has to. And when it does, Robert and Manon stare into the eyes of the captain
(Henri Vilbert) who must decide their fate, and he looks straight at the camera
and does the equivalent of throwing his hands up in resignation. It’s like he’s
saying to the director, I know what I
have to do, but you’re not making it easy. In truth, I felt sorry for
Vilbert, for he was tasked with making one of the most unrealistic love stories
somehow worthy of support and sympathy. How he did it with a straight face is
simply beyond me.
It is here that I thought the film would end, but why quit
when you’re behind? Instead of fading with the word FIN, the film reminds you that there was a second story line, the
more interesting one. Viewers are then asked to place the creepy story of
Robert and Manon ahead of that of the Jewish immigrants trying to make it to
the promised land. It is a mistake. Any one of these side characters would have
made a better protagonist, and the film has the foolish audacity to remind you
of that. What were they thinking? (on DVD)
2 stars
*Manon is in
French with English subtitles.
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