Aristocrats (film, 1955)

1950s The widowed Marquis de Mobran reunites with his six children - one daughter and five sons - in a large castle in his Burgundy domain. In this castle, surrounded by old scrolls and portraits of ancestors, everyday life is organized in accordance with aristocratic traditions (hunting, family meals, raising good manners, addressing parents to you), realizing the role of its owner in the family and in subject territory (authoritarian and a demanding father, a generous and caring owner with his workers in his cold superiority) and relies on aristocratic virtues (where honor is above all). The marquise, so brought up from an early age, seeks to convey the great traditions of his ancestors to his offspring, but society changes and new socio-economic realities develop, embodied, in particular, in various forms by his adult children (priest, intellectual, businessman and modern young woman, his daughter, with an unusual American family name Desi).

Proud of its origin, the Marquis does not agree that Desi wants to connect his life with the son of an odious guy who bought his title, no less than Prince de Conti, and without embarrassment hears “Your Grace.” As for his eldest son, Artyus who has succeeded in business, he is passionate about the idea of ​​letting capitalism into the family estate in order to save him from ruin. But financial gain is not at all what the marquise or its predecessors ever occupied. “You can’t be a little aristocrat, a little carpet dealer, you have to choose,” he says. In addition, he is more likely to compensate for the loss than to expel farmers from their land whose families have been working with them for six generations.

While his son Philip went into religion in moral pursuits, Pierre, an Oxford student, is inclined to leftist views and postulates the decomposition of the aristocratic world, which, according to him, has become a parody and caricature that has no more reason or reason for existence. His younger sons, ten-year-old twins, always ready for leprosy, understand the concept of honor in their own way and in order to prove to their father that they are worthy of the name Mobran, go into the woods and prepare to fight each other in a duel on guns. Fortunately, the Marquis manages to prevent this very likely tragedy.

He loves his children, but does not accept the priority of money and happiness over honor and duty and cannot compromise, which inevitably leads to the formation of a gap between him and his family.

His world finally collapses, along with the illusion of the undeniable authority of the Mobran family in the eyes of the inhabitants of his domain, which will result in the death of his son Pierre. Pierre, rejecting his aristocratic origin, but acting according to his upbringing, somehow recklessly tried to detain a horse that had broken off, and now, like his father’s true son, he takes on the role of a representative in front of an alcoholic who has taken children hostage and goes out to meet the bullet.

The Marquis decides to be the only one who suffers from his demands, while the rest of the family realizes that he does not want and cannot see what is necessary for their happiness. He will join the monastery, whose rules of life are closest to him: "you must be hardworking, righteous and pious."

“Aristocrats” is the first feature film by Denis de La Patelier, the script for which he co-wrote with Roland Laudenbach ( FR. Roland Laudenbach ), writer, editor, founder of the publishing house “La Table ronde”, journalist, literary critic and screenwriter ... as well as the nephew of actor Pierre Frenet and brother of the minor actor Philippe Lodenbach. This is an adaptation of the popular, almost biographical novel by Michel de Saint Pierre ( French Michel de Saint Pierre ), which in the same year received the Grand Prix of the French Academy and the Booksellers Prize ( French Le Prix des libraires ) of France.

The filming was originally supposed to be directed by director Leo Joannon ( French: Léo Joannon ). He just made Le défroqué (Rasstrigue) with producer Roger Ribadeau-Dumas ( FR Roger Ribadeau-Dumas ), where La Patelier was an assistant director and screenwriter with Joannon and Roland Lodenback. The latter was also the publisher of the book of Michel de Saint-Pierre Les Aristocrates and presented the book of Ribado-Dumas, who bought the rights to it. Joannon decided that he would not interfere in the work until the adaptation was completed. Writing the script entrusted to Lodenbach and La Patelier, because, “he knew very well the environment and the behavior of aristocrats penniless in his pocket,” he was very fascinated, he said, he felt comfortable in this project. After the script was ready, Ribado had a meeting between Frenet, Joannon, Lodenbach and La Patelier to discuss it. On the way there, Joannon told La Patelier: “Pat, I wanted to warn you, I don’t like the adaptation at all, this is not the movie I want to make” and he repeated the same thing at the meeting. Frenet replied: “Personally, I am annoyed, because it is this film that I want to shoot,” with which Ribado agreed. Joannon, who sometimes could become very angry, laid down the script and confirmed: “If this is a movie that you want to make, it will be without me.” They decided that Joannon would not participate in the film, but Denis de La Patelier did not even think about what could replace him. Meetings were organized at the Gaumont office, and one day Ribado told La Patelier that he was chosen to shoot the film. Only a year later did the director learn about the role of Pierre Frenet in making this decision. During a meeting on the choice of director between Ribado, Poiret and Frenet, the latter told them: “Listen, it's not my problem and it's not my business to appoint a director, but what are we looking for in the end? This is absurd, we are pleased with the adaptation that Denis de La Patelier made, we know him well as a technician, since we made several films with him, and, importantly, he knows the environment of aristocrats very well. It is he who must make the film. ” Poirot was skeptical about taking the risk of entrusting the work to a beginner, indicating that Frenet did not risk anything, because in any case she would receive a fee. Frenet replied: “Since you have such an argument, I propose the following: if I shoot a film by Denis de La Patelier, I put all my fees on insurance, is that enough for you?” At that time, Frenet was a star of the first magnitude, and this offer was good security for the producer. Frenée forbade the transmission of the content of this conversation to La Patelier, so that he would not consider himself obligated to him in some way and treat him on the set as required. ^[one]

The film was very well received by the audience (2,667,104 tickets sold in cinemas ^[2] ), it allowed Denis de La Patelier to be involved in the directing profession and brought a well-deserved success to the actors.

The exceptional interpretation of Pierre Frenet in the brilliant surroundings of young actors (and, by the way, the director Leo Joannon played the prince de Conti) is an important contribution to the longevity of this film, which is more than interesting evidence of a bygone era. It remains frankly modern thanks to topics about the universality of relations between parents and children, regardless of social class, about the desire for emancipation inherent in every person, and, with a discount on the idealization of the French aristocracy in the mouth of the Marquis de Mobrand, about the problems of developing a consumer society.

• Palais Chan-sur-Marne , Chan-sur-Marne , Seine and Marne , Ile-de-France , France - return from the hunt
• Palais de Saint-Cyr-sous-Chars ( French: Château de Saint-Cyr-sous-Chars ), Ball , Val d'Oise , France - Marquise de Mobrand castle
• Hôtel de la Sirène, 33 rue du Général Leclerc, Moe , Seine and Marne , France - Daisy meets Christophe at the hotel
• Place de l'Eglise, Grisy-le-Platre , Val d'Oise , France - Pierre goes to an alcoholic who has taken children hostage
• City Hall, 29 rue Robert Machy, Grisy -le-Platre , Val d'Oise , France
• Schoolyard, 29 rue Robert Machy, Grisy -le-Platre , Val d'Oise , France - scene in the schoolyard
• Photosonor Studios, Courbevoie , Hautes -de-Seine , France ^[3]

• Director: Denis de La Patelier , Ass. Maurice Delbez ( French Maurice Delbez )
• Screenplay: Denis de La Patelier , Roland Laudenbach ( French: Roland Laudenbach ) based on the novel by Michel de Saint Pierre ( French Michel de Saint Pierre ) Les Aristocrates (éditions de la Table Ronde, 1954 - Grand Prix of the French Academy for the best novel, 1955)
• Dialogues: Roland Lodenbach ( French: Roland Laudenbach )
• Producers: Roger Ribot-Dumas ( French: Roger Ribadeau-Dumas ), Alain Poiret , Roland Lodenbach ( French Roland Laudenbach )
• Director of photography: Pierre Petit ( FR Pierre Petit )
• Operator: Noel Martin ( French Noël Martin )
• Sound Engineer: Raymond Gogye ( French: Raymond Gauguier )
• Installation: Robert Inardon ( French Robert Isnardon ), Monique Inardon ( French Monique Isnardon )
• Composer: Rene Cloerec ( French René Cloërec )
• Photographer: Marcel Dole ( Fr. Marcel Dole )
• Set Designer: Paul-Louis Boutié, Ass. Henri Sonois ( Fr. Henri Sonois ), Olivier Girard ( Fr. Olivier Girard )
• Costume Designer: Jacques Cottin ( French Jacques Cottin ), Ass. Irene Cotten ( Fr. Iréne Cottin )
• Make-up artist: Igor Keldish ( fr. Igor Keldich )
• Hairstyles: Omer Bouban ( FR. Omer Bouban )
• Assistant Director on the set: Colette Crochot ( FR Colette Crochot )
• Executive Producer: Roger de Broin ( Fr. Roger de Broin ), Ass. Claude Osse ( Fr. Claude Hauser )

• Original title: Les aristocrates
• Title in Russian: Aristocrats
• English name: The Aristocrats
• Duration: 1 h. 40 min. (100 min.)
• Genre: film adaptation , drama
• Screen Format: 1.37: 1
• Film Format: 35mm
• Rental copies: 35 mm
• Film Process: Spherical
• Sound: mono
• Color: black and white
• Filming period: from June 13 to August 3, 1955
• A country :
  •   France
• Original language: French
• Premiere:
  •   France : October 12th . 1955
• Production:
  •   France Société Française de Cinématographie (SFC)
  •   France Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG)
  •   France Les Films Saint-James
• Export / Sale:
  •   France gaumont
• Distributors:
  •   France Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG)
  •   Great Britain Curzon Film Distributors (cinemas, 1956)
  •   Italy New Gold Entertainment (1955)
• Visa Number: 16963
• Date of issue of visa: October 10 . 1955

Resources

• “Les aristocrates” on the Internet Movie Database   (as of 03/04/2018)

Review

• James Travers Les Aristocrates (1955 )