Le grand Meaulnes (2006)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe

Writers:

Alain-Fournier (novel)
Jean Cosmos (writer)

Release Date:

4 October 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Nicolas Duvauchelle	...	Augustin Meaulnes
Jean-Baptiste Maunier	...	François Seurel
Clémence Poésy	...	Yvonne De Galais
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	M. de Galais
Philippe Torreton	...	M. Seurel
Émilie Dequenne	...	Valentine
Malik Zidi	...	Franz
Valérie Stroh	...	Millie
Florence Thomassin	...	Mme Meaulnes
Pascal Elso	...	Florentin
Roger Dumas	...	L'horloger
Pierre Vernier	...	Le recteur
Charles Hurez	...	Delouche
Clément Naslin	...	Dutremblay
Samuel Brafman-Moutier	...	Roy (as Samuel Brafman)

Runtime:

France:97 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Taiwan:R-12

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Mosca Films

Movie Connections:

Version of Le grand Meaulnes (1967)

Grand Meaulnes Without Magic or Greatness

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Alain-Fournier's masterpiece has been one of my all-time favourite novels ever since I first fell under its spell at age fifteen. I was therefore very much looking forward to a new screen adaptation, which I hoped would convert a new generation of viewers to this haunting tale of wistful enchantment, bitter disillusionment and tragic loss. With such strong material, I never doubted for a moment that the world was in for a treat. It turns out I was wrong.

Augustin Meaulnes, it is true, is a ruthless and selfish character to the point of bringing misery to virtually everybody who gets close to him. It needs to be stressed, though, that he can only do this because he is "Grand", great and irresistible. What makes him so is his zest for Life, his spirit of Adventure, and his youthful carelessness, and NOT the fact that, as François Seurel explains in a voice-over, he rescues a class-mate from drowning. Sadly, Seurel's observation IS needed, (26-year-old!) Nicolas Duvauchelle's uninspired portrayal of Meaulnes leaving the viewer scratching his or her head as to why the boys pay him any attention at all. Hostile, floppy-fringed and somehow world-weary, this is not Fournier's big country boy who occasionally likes to please his mother by collecting wild ducks' eggs and trapping pheasants.

Then there is the pivotal wedding party at a mysterious château presided over by children in fancy-dress that Meaulnes gate-crashes and where he meets the embodiment of romantic love, Yvonne de Galais. What should be a dream-like encounter between two children on the cusp of adolescence, as Meaulnes first watches the girl playing the piano for a group of children while day-dreaming about being married to her, and then exchanges a few clumsy words with her on a boat trip the next day, becomes, in the film, a hurried exchange of names in the empty music room before the wedding is called off.

There is no ominous howling Pierrot carrying the body of the jilted groom - in fact, said jilted groom briefly fingers a gun prior to allowing himself to be talked out of any suicidal thoughts by Meaulnes - there are no gypsies and, most importantly, there is no "lost domain", the name of the estate and its owners being revealed to Meaulnes almost right from the outset.

Instead, the film rather clumsily conflates the character of Meaulnes, The Wanderer (English book title), with that of his author by having him killed in an early (read "VERY early") German ambush. Death may indeed have struck a desperate Alain-Fournier as the only viable escape from the stiflingness of everyday adult reality, but then Augustin Meaulnes is not bound by the rules of reality. In the brilliant escapist fantasy which is the novel, the protagonist, if no one except him, gets away, quite literally, along with his child, who permits him to reconnect with and perhaps even recover the carefree mirth and exuberance of childhood.

If you are looking for an unforgettable narrative experience, do not despair. You can buy the book or rent the 1963 film version or do both. You won't be disappointed. Just don't waste any time or money on this.