Period Drama Challenge: February and March Tag Questions

For all of February and March, this blog has been rather empty and lonely - but at long last, I've returned.  I've finished my first review for the Period Drama Challenge, on Le Silence de la Mer, a French WWII film.  I would have posted my first review a long time ago, but I never had enough time to finish it until recently.  I have also never answered the tag questions for February and March, but I am about to do that now.  Below are my answers to the tag questions for both February and March.

February Tag Questions:

1)  What period dramas have you watched in February?

I saw a French period film, called La Fille du Puisatier, or The Well Digger's Daughter (2011).  La Fille du Puisatier is set in the French countryside pre-World War II.  It's rich with emotion, perfectly cast, and the scenery of the French countryside is absolutely beautiful.  I think it's a well done film and I definitely recommend it.

2)  How many Charles Dickens adaptations have you seen?

In order from the first Charles Dickens adaptation I ever saw to what I most recently saw:

1)  Charles Dickens Classics:  Nicholas Nickleby (the animated version from 1990 - I still have the VHS of this film.  I watched it many times when I was little).

2)  Charles Dickens Classics:  Great Expectations (the animated version from the early '90's - I also have the VHS of this from when I was little).

3)  Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

4)  Bleak House (2005)

5)  Dombey and Son (1983)

6)  Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)

I may have seen others, but the ones listed above are all I can remember at present.

3)  Do you prefer heroes that are spotless wealthy gentlemen or gritty hardworking men?

I wouldn't choose either above the other, because it all depends on who the man is.  So I suppose my answer to this question is both.  There are great heroes that are spotless wealthy gentlemen like Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Knightley from Emma, and so on, while there are equally great heroes that are hardworking, like Mr. Thornton from North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Mr. Thornton presides over his cotton mill in North and South (2004).

There are good and bad spotless wealthy gentlemen, and there are good and bad gritty hardworking men, so as I said, it depends on who is wearing the spotless wealthy clothes or the gritty work(ing) clothes.

4. Do you tend to prefer heroines that are sweet and gentle or adventurous and spunky?

I love both kinds of heroines; they each have their own virtues.  But I think my answer would be adventurous and spunky, as they tend to leave a more memorable impression, such as Elizabeth Bennet.  The one thing I can't stand, however, is when a heroine seems contrived to be spunky.  With Elizabeth Bennet, it doesn't feel forced (and therefore annoying) at all; it's completely natural.  I do tend to sympathise with heroines that are more shy, though, since I am sometimes shy as well.  I find them quite sympathetic.

5. Do you enjoy listening to period drama soundtracks? Do you own any?

No, I don't own any soundtracks.  It never occurred to me before to own one.  Now that I think of it, I wish I did!  Period drama soundtracks are so beautiful and of key importance to the film they are from.

March Tag Questions:

1)  What period dramas have you watched in March?

I have seen a few period films, but mostly I have been watching a lot of Film Noir, such as Out of the Past, The Big Heat, and Laura, all of which are well known in the Film Noir genre.  One of the period films I watched was That Hamilton Woman, starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.  That Hamilton Woman is a 1941 film that takes place in the late 18th century/early 19th century (Napoleonic Era).  

2)  How many adaptations of Jane Eyre have you seen?  Do you have a favorite?

I have seen clips of older versions and the 2011 version, but the only adaptation of Jane Eyre I have watched from beginning to end is the 2006 version.  From what I have observed, the 2006 version seems to be the best, but I will have to see other versions to be sure.

3)  Do you prefer period drama villains who are cleverly cunning or downright diabolical?

I prefer villains who are cleverly cunning.  They are more complex and interesting to observe.  Downright diabolical period drama villains would be cool too, but as long as they're also clever.  Clever villains are the most interesting, like Mr. Tulkinghorn from Charles Dickens' Bleak House.

4)  How often does watching a period drama make you want to read the book it's based on?

Many times.  Period films tend to have that effect, I've noticed.  :) North and South (2004) by the BBC is an example of a period film that makes me want to read the book.  The more times I watched North and South, the more I wanted to read the book.  I enjoyed it immensely, and it introduced me to Elizabeth Gaskell's wonderful writing.  North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is now one of my most favorite novels of all time.  Most of the time the only reason I don't want to read the book after viewing a period film is because I've already read it.

5)  What older period drama would you like to see a remake of?

I can't really think of any period dramas I'd like to see a remake of, but I do know what adaptations I'd like to see made.  I wish more film adaptations of L. M. Montgomery's novels were made, such as the Pat of Silver Bush series.  The mere fact that there aren't enough film adaptations of L. M. Montgomery's work makes me want to become a film director and make them myself!

To the left is the dust cover illustration, by Edna Cooke, of the 1933 first edition of Pat of Silver Bush, by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Period Drama Challenge Review #1: Le Silence de la Mer

The film genre, Film Noir, has many aspects about it that draw people to it, such as the twists and turns in the plotlines, the snappy dialogue, and the dark tones and urban settings.  But what has always drawn me to Film Noir the most, has been the 1940's fashions and hair styles, and the entire atmosphere of the '40's altogether.  I am of course drawn to the great characters, storylines, and witty dialogue as well, but being a fan of style in the 1940's has played a prominent role in making me a fan of Film Noir.

The movie I am reviewing is not Film Noir.  It is set in the '40's though, so it's nostalgic for me in the same way that Film Noir is.  It's also a French movie, which ties in for me with Film Noir, because it was the French film critics who came up with the term, while viewing American movies in France.  Of course the heroine of this movie is not at all a femme fatale; nevertheless, the wartime tension in the movie I am about to review is tantamount to the uneasy atmosphere typical of Film Noir.  As well, the German character in the movie, with his love of culture, reminds me of the German directors who came to Hollywood and brought their German Expressionist sensibilities to Film Noir.  The color and wide expanse of countryside in the film is a contrast to the usual black and white cityscapes of Film Noir, but all in all it is a movie which conjures up the same time period.

Naturally, a more recent film that takes place in the '40's will take the viewer back in time, but not quite as efficiently as a movie that was actually made during the '40's.  A film that takes place in the '40's will, without a doubt, interest me, though, and the 2004 remake of the 1949 film Le Silence de la Mer (The Silence of the Sea) is no exception.  Le Silence de la Mer (1949) is a famous film by Jean-Pierre Melville, based on the 1942 book by Jean Bruller, who published his work under the name Vercors, when he joined the French Resistance, during the Nazi occupation of northern France in WWII.  Le Silence de la Mer became heavily symbolic of the French Resistance after it was published.  The 1949 film based on Bruller's book was actually filmed in the author's home outside Paris.  Melville's film was influenced by Film Noir, as indeed this wonderful French film director was famously influenced by quite a few elements of American society.

Jeanne Larosière rests during a walk home.

However, I am reviewing the 2004 TV adaptation, not the original 1949 film.  In comparison to the original film, which was termed "anti-cinematographic" because it emphasized a narrative or literary quality of storytelling, rather than a visual aspect, the cinematography of the 2004 adaptation thrives amid the vibrant French countryside.

This still expresses the mood of the overall film perfectly.  One could interpret it as representing how people turn their backs to each other in wartime, cutting themselves off emotionally from other people.

Julie Delarme (left) as Jeanne Larosière in Le Silence de la Mer (2004).

Le Silence de la Mer takes place in a town in the West of France and begins in November, 1941.  It tells the story of a young woman named Jeanne Larosière, who lives with her grandfather, André Larosière (originally Jeanne was the niece of her uncle, but the 2004 TV adaptation changed the relationship to granddaughter and grandfather).  It isn't long before the viewer is informed that Jeanne is a piano teacher; in fact the first scene shows Jeanne giving a piano lesson.

The main premise of Le Silence de la Mer (2004) is about a German officer who is billeted in the country home of Jeanne and her grandfather in Nazi-occupied France.  The German officer (a Wehrmacht captain), whose name is Werner von Ebrennac (played by Thomas Jouannet), is very civil towards Jeanne and her grandfather, André (played by Michel Galabru).  Even though Jeanne and André refuse to speak to him, treating him as their enemy, disdaining him with their silence, and wishing to avoid any hint of collaboration, Werner remains gracious and polite, greeting them and wishing them good night when he returns to their home each evening.  He speaks to them as equals and relates to them in terms of their similar class and common cultural heritage.  He is an avid admirer of French culture and is knowledgeable about all the great French writers.  He notices that Jeanne plays the music of the great German composers, as well.  He is culturally invested and is also of the opinion that France and Germany would benefit from a union of their two countries.  His philosophy is that common humanity supersedes nationalism.

From one perspective, Werner may relate to his hosts because they come from the same class.  Much as Karl Marx pointed out in his book, The Paris Commune, the ruling classes of Germany and France have more in common than their nationalistic conflicts would suggest.  However, I think this is too cynical an interpretation for this film.  Werner is an individual, and he is not that superficial.  He is a genteel and cultured person with sensibilities toward life as a whole, and to other human beings.  His courtesy extends to everyone (including his driver, as well as the young boy named Pierre, who Werner aids when he falls and hurts himself), regardless of class.  I interpret Werner as being basically against war and someone who doesn't fit into the culture of war and the brutality around him, an aspect of his character that Jeanne comes to realize when she tries to protect him from the resistance, which has targeted the German officers for assassination.

Jeanne plays the piano in a desperate attempt to
prevent Werner from being harmed.

The scene in which Jeanne tries to prevent Werner from being hurt brings to light one of the major themes in this story:  communication.  Because Jeanne cannot communicate to Werner through speech, she instead plays on her piano, because music is "a universal language".  Music is an understanding between people, a way for us to express our emotions.  Music can overcome language barriers, and bond people even when they have differences, because the connection humanity feels towards music is a similarity stronger than our differences.  Every time I watch this scene I am fascinated by how profound it is.  Jeanne feels trapped, because she must choose between her loyalty to her country and her loyalty to someone she has come to see as a human being first and foremost (a person she may even have fallen in love with), not merely an enemy of her country.  It comes down to the question:  which matters most in the grand scheme of things?  Should she remain loyal to her country or loyal to all of humanity?  Jeanne is also faced with a moral dilemma.  Wouldn't the right thing to do be to save the person's life, no matter what their nationality is, even in this situation, in the midst of WWII?

The warm, life affirming attitude of the 2004 adaptation is quite different than the supposed existential outlook of Melville's oeuvre (I wonder if anyone so flamboyantly alive as Melville was, could ever really have a problem with the Universe;  I suspect the great director merely followed what he regarded as an important tragic heroic archetype).  *Spoiler alert (I'm about to discuss the ending of the film)*  Despite the geraniums in the window, the ending of the 2004 version is more sombre and realistic than earlier in the movie, although the basic tone of the movie doesn't change.  It remains bitter sweet throughout.  Werner's character hasn't changed, but he no longer has the same illusions about the war.  Still, the ending of the 2004 is no where near as stark as Melville's endings inevitably are, and the characters are allowed to live on.  *End of spoiler*

Melville would have been uniquely placed to appreciate the nuances and contradictions of war between France and Germany, as his real name was Jean-Pierre Grumbach, his family German Jews from Alsace.   His experience in the French Resistance would also have made adapting this particular book a poignant act.  The 2004 remake of Le Silence de la Mer retains the poignancy of the original story, and also its literary complexity.  Everything about this film is beautiful and bitter sweet, from Jeanne and Werner's first encounter to their last - the music, the acting, the story, and the cinematography are all magnificently done and presented well.  I highly recommend this film.  I highly recommend the 1949 film, as well.  As for questionable content, there are no inappropriate scenes, but there is a scene in which Jeanne's cousin tries to assault her.  Nothing is shown in the scene, and there is nothing immodest throughout the film.  So once again, I highly recommend this film.  *Spoiler alert* Although, however bitter sweet, the ending makes me sad every time I watch it.  *End of spoiler*  Overall, Le Silence de la Mer is a beautiful film.