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Fantastic Night
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Wikipedia article
'La Nuit fantastique' ('The Fantastic Night'The film was shown in the United States in 1949, in a shortened version, as 'Fantastic Night' ([http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_120349b 'Boxoffice Barometer', 3 Dec. 1949, p.144]), but it is now more generally known under its original title.) is a 1942 French fantasy film directed by Marcel L'Herbier. It is regarded as one of the most successful films made in France during the German occupation.'The French Cinema Book'; edited by Michael Temple and Michael Witt. (London: British Film Institute, 2004.) p 123. Georges Sadoul, 'Le Cinma franais (1890-1962)'. (Paris: Flammarion, 1962.) pp.92-93.
Plot
Denis, a poor student in philosophy, works as a night porter in the Paris market of Les Halles in order to pay for his studies. Constantly weary, he falls asleep and dreams of a beautiful girl in white, Irne, with whom he falls in love. An adventure follows in which he tries to save the girl from being married off for her money. When he awakes, he discovers Irne alive and real.
Cast
* Fernand Gravey, as Denis
* Micheline Presle, as Irne
* Saturnin Fabre, as Thals
* Jean Pards, as Cadet
* Michel Vitold, as Boris
* Bernard Blier, as Lucien
* Marcel Lvesque, as Doctor Le Tellier
* Charles Granval, as Adalbert, the blind man
Production
As L'Herbier was finishing 'Histoire de rire', his first film made during the Occupation, he was presented with a scenario written by Louis Chavance and Maurice Henry which immediately suggested to him the possibility of creating a film in the spirit of some of his earlier silent films, on a theme that he characterised as a "realistic fairy-tale". (At the time he seemed to be thinking of a tradition begun by the films of Georges Mlis, though in his later memoirs he made a link rather with a style derived from the Lumire brothers, in which realistic images were here pushed towards a kind of surrealism.)Marcel L'Herbier, 'La Tte qui tourne'. (Paris: Belfond, 1979.) pp.283-284. It gave him the opportunity to return to the kinds of experiment with visual style, and now also with sound effects, which had marked silent films such as 'L'Inhumaine' and 'Feu Mathias Pascal'.
In an interview in 1967 L'Herbier reflected further on the starting points for the film, including the 'Melancholia' by Drer, a picture in which realistic elements are arranged and lit strangely, creating the effect of a dreamy meditation. He also noted that the scenario was inspired by an idea of Pascal: since we spend half our life sleeping, it may be that the other half, when we think we are awake, is in fact another sleep, a little different from the first, and from which we awake when we think we are sleeping.Nol Burch, 'Marcel L'Herbier'. Paris: Seghers, 1973. p. 127.
The dialogue was written by Henri Jeanson, uncredited because he was at the time forbidden to work for the press or the cinema following his imprisonment for pacifist writings and non-cooperation with the Vichy government. The film's sets were designed by Ren Moulaert and Marcel Magniez.[http://cinema.encyclopedie.films.bifi.fr/index.php?pk=49389 'La Nuit fantastique'] at 'Cin-Ressources'. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
Filming began in December 1941 at the Joinville Studios in Paris. L'Herbier described the working conditions as being the worst he had known because of the extreme cold, sometimes as low as -15 C, but at the same time he found it an exhilarating experience because he felt a creative freedom that he not known for many years.Marcel L'Herbier, 'La Tte qui tourne'. (Paris: Belfond, 1979.) p.285. The credits of the film say that it was filmed at the studios of Path Cinma; Path built studios in Joinville and nearby at Saint-Maurice in the early 1900s. L'Herbier refers to his daily journeys to Joinville to make 'La Nuit fantastique'. IMDb says that filming was carried out at the Francur Studios (quite far away in the 18th arrondissement of Paris), which were merged with the Joinville studios after the end of WW2.
Reception
'La Nuit fantastique' was first shown in Paris in July 1942, in a version running for about 90 minutes because of nearly 15 minutes of cuts made by the distributor. L'Herbier blamed this for the film's lack of success with the public during 1942 and 1943. It was only in 1944 that a complete version was released.Christophe Gauthier, "Le Tombeau de Mlis? 'La Nuit fantastique' et le 'cinma primitif'", in 'Marcel L'Herbier et l'art du cinma'; [ed. by Laurent Vray]. (Paris: Association franaise de recherche sur l'histoire du cinma, 2007.) pp.257-258. This prompted Andr Bazin to write a substantial review article in which he asserted the film's significance in establishing a new spirit of independence to French film-making and in rehabilitating the spirit of Mlis and "the marvelous".Andr Bazin, 'French Cinema of the Occupation and Resistance'; translated by Stanley Hochman. (New York: Frederick Ungar, 1981.) pp.75-79. Another critic who saw the film on its release recalled it later with enthusiasm, saying that it had restored a sense of innovation to the Occupation cinema.Jacques Siclier, 'La France de Ptain et son cinma'. (Paris: Henri Veyrier, 1981.) pp.141-142.
In 1943 a Grand Prix du Film d'Art was created and it was awarded jointly to 'La Nuit fantastique' (along with 'Les Visiteurs du soir') for the 1941/42 season.Jean-Pierre Bertin-Maghit, 'Le Cinma franais sous l'Occupation'. [Paris]: Perrin, 2002. p. 84. Micheline Presle was also awarded a Grand Prix de la Critique.Nol Burch, 'Marcel L'Herbier'. Paris: Seghers, 1973. p. 171.
References
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