Mar 091952
 
3,5 reels

Charismatic but foolish Fanfan (GĂ©rard Philipe) is on his way to a shotgun wedding when a gypsy girl (Gina Lollobrigida, dubbed by Claire Guibert) tells him he is fated to become a great soldier and marry the princess. He escapes and joins the army, only to learn that the gypsy was really the daughter of the recruitment officer who lures foolish young men into the short life of a military men during the Seven Years War. But Fanfan clings to the prophecy, and luckily has fighting skills to rival his foolishness. Fanfan sets off for adventures that involves sword-fights, chases, beautiful women, and the King of France.

Fanfan la Tulipe is similar to its American cousin, Scaramouche, that came out the same year. Both films take place in France (FanFan was made there) during a time of bloodshed, both have contempt for the government, and both star a very un-heroic hero, who is brave, but has no notion or concern for a higher good. There is little to split the good guys from the bad guys except charisma. Both Fanfan and Andre “Scaramouche” Moreau are cheating womanizers who rarely follow through on their promises, ignore dark political realities, are easily provoked, put others in danger, and are generally asses. But they are such lovable asses that it’s OK.

However Fanfan la Tulipe has one major difference from American Swashbucklers: It lacks morality. Swashbucklers are morality plays. There is right and wrong, and while the current government may be evil, if things were set to rights, then there would be an honorable ruling class that would be worth following. Swashbuckling heroes tend to be roguish, breaking the rules, but only to get to those truer, nobler rules. Fanfan la Tulipe isn’t like that. The leaders are all corrupt and/or buffoons, and should that government be overthrown, the new one would be corrupt and filled with buffoons. Other countries are no worse and no better. Nor does class make a difference. The lower classes are filled with people no better than those at the top. War is just a game where many people die and nothing is accomplished, and that’s how it will always be.

“His Majesty’s soldiers found this war so amusing that they made it last seven years.”

So our “hero” does not shine with the virtues of good citizenship nor learn to be helpful, but rather is a representation of freedom and joy. He’s brave and bold, but an idiot, and is not going to make the world a better place. He’s just going to have fun. And that’s the best anyone can do.

So we have a Swashbuckler that’s also a political satire, and it leans hard into the comedic elements. The many energetic sword-fights are not emotional, but only a step or two from slapstick. The dialog is quick and witty with never a touch of drama, and the narration is biting. That makes Fanfan la Tulipe both joyful and fascinating, and a film which couldn’t have been made in the U.S. till at least twenty years later.

Gérard Philipe was a star already, and this made Lollobrigida into one, and they are supported by a universally excellent cast. While a good time throughout, Fanfan la Tulipe didn’t pull me in emotionally (it wasn’t supposed to), and nothing feels dangerous. It could also use a few edits—a coach chase goes on far too long, making this a very good film, though not one of the greats.

For a film that won major awards and was a huge hit in France and an audience pleaser internationally, it has been largely forgotten. Part of that can be laid at the feet of the French New Wave. The new kids on the block were keen to mock previous French films—after all, no one was giving them budgets to make films like this—and they focused their disdain on Fanfan la Tulipe. They made fun of the politics of the bourgeois and the results of capitalismm but they didn’t take returned criticism well, and Fanfan la Tulipe took shots not only at capitalists, but at everyone, including over-serious communists (and the French New Wave was filled with over-serious communists). Godard and Truffaut won, from a certain point of view, dimming director Christian-Jaque legacy such that he is seldom mentioned as one of the most significant French filmmakers even now when no one would take Godard’s rants seriously. Christian-Jaque had to settle for the piles of money he’d earned through a long and acclaimed career and adoration during his life for being both a popular and an artistic talent. Ah well. And Fanfan la Tulipe is still here.

Note: While shot brilliantly in B&W, the colorized version is surprisingly good.