Teyss
"Le Jour se lève" is a French cinema major classic and more specifically the lead title of "poetic realism" genre of the 1930s. Apparently simple in its form, it is an elaborate movie about hidden truth and apparent lies, with social background.*** WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS ***The movie is not the first one with flashbacks, but probably the first to use them so consistently and skilfully, two years before "Citizen Kane". There are three of them, surrounded by four "present" sequences. Interestingly, the latter are relatively consistent in duration and space: they all last between 6 and 11 minutes, occur between evening and dawn of the following day and happen in François' building or around. (As such, the movie follows the rules of classic tragedy: unity of time, place and action.)This contrasts with the flashbacks, which progressively condense time and space, building up dramatic intensity.Flashback 1 (22 minutes). Duration: three weeks. Locations: road to the factory, factory, outside Françoise's house (twice), Françoise's house, café.Flashback 2 (24 minutes). Duration: at most a few days. Locations: François' building, Clara's room (twice), café, greenhouse.Flashback 3 (7 minutes). Duration: real time. Location: François' room only.As we see, the condensation is threefold: length of the flashback itself, duration of the action, space where it happens. While the first and second flashbacks represent some mental escape (duration, exteriors, love, future plans), the third one loops back with the opening scene in terms of action, location and length. All this creates a sense of increasing pressure and inevitable tragedy, reinforced by the fact the "present" sequences also move progressively from exteriors to interiors and notably to François' room: there is no escaping the reduced environment and limited time; we are increasingly confined with François in his room during his last night. "It is a small world. It turns around, we meet again", Valentin says. Indeed: smaller and smaller, faster and faster.Additionally, to augur the tragic ending, the movie constantly hints references to death. François and Françoise both are orphans. François tells her: "It would be nice if everybody were dead and there were just the two of us". Valentin says: "I am coming back like a ghost". Clara tells François: "It seems you are informing me someone died". François shouts at the end: "François is gone!" The teddy bear that looks like him is shot. François is seen through his window and his mirror riddled with bullet holes.The contrast between present and past reveals another opposition: apparent versus hidden. The mystery of the murder at the beginning, behind a closed door, is only explained at the end. François looks healthy but his lungs are filled with sand. He is considered a nice fellow but will eventually commit murder. He has a happy eye and a sad eye. The deputy director has a nice garden close by the factory which inside looks like a nightmare. Valentin's show is a success but he tortures his dogs to achieve it. Françoise gives François her allegedly personal brooch that is actually Valentin's. Clara is understanding but cruelly hurts François on purpose by revealing the secret of Valentin's brooches. François says at the end: "Everybody kills, but secretly, little by little so it doesn't show". In a revealing scene, Valentin tells François he is Françoise's father. It is moving and we feel sorry for him. However, we later on discover it was a lie. But where is the truth? Does Valentin just want to manipulate François and Françoise? Or does he genuinely love her so much that he is willing to do anything? He is an ignoble yet complex character, magnificently played by Jules Berry.The apparent/hidden antagonism is visually illustrated by lights and shadows that frequently divide faces and bodies. Also, many shots through mirrors and windows show us reality is double-sided. And the recurring apparitions of the blind man (a cliché feature introduced with second-degree humour) tell us truth is not what we see.Characters also are antagonised: François (simple, frank, honest) versus Valentin (intelligent, manipulative, sleazy); Françoise (young, shy, apparently chaste) versus Clara (experienced, outspoken, flirty). So is society: opposition between workers and "artists", "simple" people and intellectuals, people and policemen, hard work and pleasure, living conditions and plans for a better life. François is a strong character but denied a proper existence: he dresses like a monster without a body and a face in the factory; he is dominated by Valentin's rhetoric; he lives isolated at the top of the town's tallest building; the police do not negotiate with him, they simply shoot; he shouts at the end, in a memorable monologue, "There is no François any more!"As a result, the movie manages to be both symbolic and realistic: working conditions, living conditions, social context just before WWII, close shots on important details (brooch, gun, burning cigarette). Ironically, at the end when François is dead, his alarm rings so he can wake up to go to work.A last note about the crew. The three main actors (Jean Gabin, Jules Berry, Arletty) are among the greatest ever in French cinema and it is their only common appearance. Notably, it is the only movie featuring all-famous Gabin and Berry together, which makes the contrast between their styles even more striking.Dialogues by Jacques Prévert (a major French poet) are simple, powerful and somewhat poetic. Scenery is the work of the master Alexandre Trauner: efficient reconstitution of the whole quarter, impressive usage of the building (e.g. fabulous travelling shot from top to bottom), minute reconstitution of François' room condensing his past. Cinematography is from another master, Philippe Agostini, and lightings from yet another, Curt Courant. A true dream team.Last but not least, Carné is an acclaimed director and "Le Jour se lève" is considered by many as his masterpiece, ahead of other classics such as "Port of Shadows" and "Children of Paradise".
Scott44
***Interesting commentary from Varlaam ("A tragedy of everyday proportions", Varlaam from Toronto, Canada, 3 February 1999), who uses actor math to describe Jean Gabin. Also, writers_reign from London ("Twilight At Dawn", writers_reign from London, England, 8 December 2003) adds context for the principal participants. Finally, nowlang ("A French Masterpiece about the Tragedy of a Simple Man's Life", nowlang (
[email protected]) from Small Town, New England, USA, 12 September 2006) adds interesting insight.***"Le jour se lève (Daybreak; 1939, Marcel Carné, France) is another superlative film from Carné. A common laborer is known to have killed a man, and is holed-up awaiting his fate. With the arrival of the Second World War looming, the participants involved in this project still manage to leave behind a story filled with understanding about the human condition.The film is very brave, as it is not hard to argue that "Daybreak" is a veiled protest against the increasingly repressive government. (The Vichy regime, which collaborated with the Nazis, took over a year after this film's release.) In the film's opening, a title card informs us that a murder has been committed and we will see what caused the murderer to act. The message has little purpose but to create the idea of a government proclamation announcing that someone is an enemy of the state. Who threatens the state the most? The French police exacerbate tensions whenever possible. They have François (Jean Gabin) trapped in his third-story apartment. Without a word of dialog, they begin shooting at François. Later, they deny a potentially crisis- ending conversation between François and several of his coworkers. When the laborers in the street begin to show signs of support for François, the police crush the public expression with violence against the helpless crowd. By starting with the title card that clarifies the government's official position and then presenting a story that encourages sympathy for the public enemy, "Daybreak" makes the statement that the present French government is getting out of control.Some viewers have an issue with the central cheat in the story, namely that François completely fails to recognize he has a legitimate case to make to an impartial jury. This is explained in part by the Fascistic police, which offer no sign they intend for him to receive a fair trial. There also seems to be relevance in the deceased having been an animal trainer. His ex-girlfriend and show partner Clara (Arletty) will describe some of Valentine's cruelty to his dogs by mentioning a specific example. So, perhaps François does not take steps to improve his situation because he is identified with the unfortunate puppies who can never escape Valentine's sadism. When weary François hysterically communicates with the crowd below, he might be offering some of the despair of show animals being cruelly trained. (An example of how Valentine torments François is by repeatedly calling him "simple." BTW, "Daybreak" sure has a lot more awareness about the plight of animals than does the "Wizard of Oz," also made in 1939.)It is a trademark of the collaboration between Carné (direction) and Jacques Prévert's (dialog) that a sense of balance is felt with the entire cast. Even the characters with brief moments on screen are perfectly realized. Jean Gabin is excellent in the lead role. He's one of my all-time favorite actors. If you mixed Spencer Tracy's looks with Humphrey Bogart's grit, sprinkling in Robert Mitchum's indifference, while supplying the result with a vast quantity of cigarettes, you might produce an actor similar. Gabin excels at portraying primitives, and is as convincing as a criminal as he is endearing. Gabin is a perfect choice for this despairing role of a laborer who grew up in an orphanage and now endures soul-crushing work to get by."Daybreak" is useful in understanding how Arletty was a successful leading lady despite being in her 40s. As an actress, she brings mystery and cleverness to her roles. While Arletty/Clara is an attractive woman, it is obvious that the younger, sensual Françoise, is intended to be the head-turner. Still, Arletty's Clara is a lot more streetwise than Françoise. Clara does not fall to pieces when situations get tough. Arletty appears to have been successful as a romantic lead during this turbulent era because she seems to offer the French male a partner that can hold up under duress.The sexuality is very advanced for 1939. There are four main characters and each has partnered with two others of the group. The scene where François joins Françoise on her bed is risqué. Françoise is also "ruined" when it is revealed her relationship with Valentine is not platonic. One can imagine the government censors having many internal conversations about just the sexual behavior on display. (I was a little annoyed in the naming similarity between François and Françoise. However, maybe this is to emphasize the similar states of mind the pair have at the finish.)If you are a cinema buff you won't want to miss this.
Turfseer
Le Jour Se Leve was considered good enough by Hollywood to be remade into a Henry Fonda vehicle in the 1940s. It's also currently considered a classic by many film critics and appears on some of the top ten lists for best film of all time. From my perspective, it's just another one of those films that's gained a reputation and because everyone else says it's great, it must be! But looking at it objectively, the story not only plods along but fails to pay off.The film begins with Francois, a factory worker, who has barricaded himself in his rooming house after shooting a man. The police arrive and he fires bullets through the door which almost hit the unarmed officers standing outside. The police call for reinforcements and a standoff ensues. The rest of the film involves flashbacks which explain how the situation arose as well as flash forwards to the present, with Francois holed up in his apartment as the police take various actions to try and get him out.It seems that Francois has fallen for a young waif, a floral shop worker by the name of Francoise and courts her assiduously. After a few weeks, he wants to stay the night with her but she tells him she has another engagement in the evening. Francois follows Francoise to a nightclub where Valentin, an older man, is performing a dog training act. Francois spies Francoise as she goes through the stage door in the back of the club to visit Valentin. Meanwhile, Francois runs into Clara (played by Arletty who was blacklisted for awhile in the French film industry after having an affair with a German Officer during the Occupation in World War II). Clara, who is Valentin's assistant and lover, reveals that she's just broken up with him after a three year relationship.The rest of 'Le Jour' revolves around Francois shacking up with Clara but also seeing Francoise. Valentin confronts Francois continuously and at one point falsely claims that he's Francoise's father. Finally, Valentin comes over to see Francois with a gun and admits that his initial intent was to shoot him. After further angry conversation, Francois takes Valentin's gun and shoots and kills him with it.That's almost it. After all the flash forwards to Francois dodging police bullets fired into his apartment, he finally decides to shoot himself. After all the machinations amongst the quadrangle, the suicide is probably the most unimaginative way to conclude the story.Le Jour's characters are all rather one note. Francois is the probably the best of the bunch since he has that gift of gab with women. But he's also an obnoxious hothead who can't control his temper. After he shoots Valentin, are we really supposed to feel for sympathy for him? The shooting is completely uncalled for. As for Valentin, his wacky demands for Francois to stop seeing Francoise become tiresome. Yes we get it that he's insanely jealous but it would be nice if we found out some things about him. Francoise appears particularly spineless as she continues her relationship with Francois despite continuing to see Valentin. I couldn't understand what she saw in Valentin and it's never really explained. Perhaps she's 1939 France's answer to a 'flower child'. Finally, Clara is the most level-headed of the bunch. She garners sympathy at the end when she attends to Francoise after she faints as the police close in on Francois. But Clara's screen time is limited and seems to be the odd woman out in the drama.Le Jour is certainly well-acted and Jean Gabin is particularly good as the smooth-talking Lothario who seduces both women. But with all long-winded 'present day' scenes with Francois besieged by the police, unexplored motivations of the various principals, one note characterizations and that climax which ends in a whimper, Le Jour Se Leve is a decidedly overrated film, undeserving of inclusion in the pantheon of art house winners.
