Eclipse Series 22: Presenting Sacha Guitry (The story of a Cheat, The Pearls of the Crown, Desire, Quadrille) (Criterion Collection) Reviews

Sacha Guitry was one of France’s most respected playwrights and actors, and though early in his career he much preferred the stage to film, he realized that by filming movie versions of his plays, the performances he so admired (including his own) could be captured forever. So began his movie career as an actor, a director, and a screenwriter, another of international cinema’s triple threat artists to join such legendary talents as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Noel Coward, and Orson Welles. The four films collected in this Eclipse edition represent some of Guitry’s films from the early/middle period of his film career: all written (some original to the screen, some adaptations of his plays), directed, and starring the man himself.

The Story of a Cheat – 3.5/5

In late middle age, a notorious lifetime crook (Sacha Guitry) writes his memoirs looking back on his life from its troubled beginnings as an orphan at age twelve (Serge Grave) to two stints in the military (Pierre Assy) and jobs from Paris to Monte Carlo as a bellhop, an elevator operator, and a roulette wheel spinner. Later on he masters sleight of hand so he can become a expert baccarat swindler where he cheats his way to millions of francs. Alas, the wiles of various women in his life (Rosine Deréan, Jacqueline Delubac) cause him to lose his fortune though he takes the hand life offers him with a shrug and a smile always.

Guitry’s film of his only novel is alive with plenty of cinematic tricks and innovations. He begins by introducing the viewer to the cast and crew in a rare behind-the-scenes style that has rarely been attempted by any other filmmaker. As the movie progresses, there is very little dialogue from the actors; Guitry narrates the film and often says the lines while the actors mouth them. He uses reverse motion sequences set to music and lots of quick cutting and montages to delight the audience with a succession of images of his wife Henriette in a series of guises and himself as he takes on elaborate make-ups to escape detection by the police. There is also a marvelous moment where the crook practices his slight of hand with a mirror behind him so we can see both the front and back of his hands as he works. It’s all done with a tongue-in-cheek style that doesn’t wear out its welcome. At the same time, though, it seems somehow insubstantial; despite its whimsical nature, the good luck and bad luck don’t register any emotional highs and lows with the result that the entire film seems just a bit pat and sterile. Guitry’s direction, however, is as effervescent and unpredictable as Woody Allen’s in Annie Hall, a film which has certain similarities in tone to The Story of a Cheat.

The Pearls of the Crown – 4/5

The staggering (fictional) saga of seven perfect pearls which travel through hundreds of years of European history is related by three historians of different nationalities: Frenchman Jean Martin (Sacha Guitry), Englishman Equerry (Lyn Harding), and Italian Chamberlain (Enrico Glori). Along the way, such royal personages as Henry VIII (Lyn Harding), Francois I (Sacha Guitry), Pope Clement (Ermete Zacconi), Catherine de Medici (Marguerite Moreno), Napoleon (Jean-Louis Barrault, Emile Drain), and Madame duBarry (Simone Renant), among many others, lay claim to one or more of the precious gems. Four of the pearls wind up on the crown of England courtesy of Queen Victoria (Yvette Pienne) while the other three go missing and are the subject of a treasure hunt by the film’s three narrators.

Guitry’s tongue-in-cheek historical conceit is great fun if somewhat repetitive for the first hour as we witness time after time the pearls being used either as currency or tokens of love. The second hour which is a treasure hunt for the remaining three pearls is less rudimentarily plotted but not quite as brisk and bracing as it might have been. The lark for the main cast is getting to play so many different characters. Guitry plays five roles in the film (and possibly some others that he doesn’t take credit for). Jacqueline Delubac plays three named parts (including Empress Josephine and Mary Queen of Scots) as does Lyn Harding. The direction is more studied and direct than in The Story of a Cheat, but it’s also a bit more cumbersome and not as much fun (Guitry co-directed with Christian-Jaque which may account for the inconsistencies). The actors, though, have a field day. Guitry excels in all of his roles, and Jean-Louis Barrault makes an especially impressive young Napoleon Bonaparte.

Désiré – 4.5/5

Newly hired valet Désiré (Sacha Guitry) has a bad habit of falling in love with the mistresses of the house where he serves though he tells his latest lady Odette Cléry (Jacqueline Delubac) that he’s not attracted to her so that she will inevitably hire him. Jacqueline has been involved in a long-time romance with government minister Félix (Jacques Baumer), but he hasn’t proposed marriage as yet. On a trip to the French coast, both Odette and Désiré have sex dreams about one another and because they talk in their sleep, it makes it uncomfortable for others in the household who know their guilty secrets.

Guitry’s boulevard comedy is an early French precursor to Upstairs/Downstairs with simultaneous stories going on in the main house and in the servants’ work areas and quarters. His script and direction are top notch: the film never slows down for an instant, and we get to know the three servants and the two masters of the house very, very well, so much so that we anticipate all of their various encounters. Guitry stages several concurrent sequences cross cutting between the two classes: a card game and later some bedtime rituals, both of which are very amusing. Nothing tops, however, the brilliantly written and staged fancy dress dinner that Odette gives for the deaf Madame Corniche (Alys Delonde) which is as hilarious as anything being written by Noel Coward or Kaufman and Hart during this period. Guitry really steals the show as the ready-for-anything butler, and Jacqueline Delubac, his wife at the time, is lovely without quite being on the same level as a farceur. As the other two servants, Pauline Carlton and Arletty (who was the memorable Abyssinian snake charmer in The Pearls of the Crown) both do well with some wonderfully witty lines.

Quadrille – 3/5

After a blissful six year relationship with one of Paris’ leading actresses Paulette Nanteuil (Gaby Morlay), newspaper editor Philippe de Morannes (Sacha Guitry) decides he’s going to pop the question. That afternoon, however, Paulette meets the dashingly handsome American movie idol Carl Herickson (George Grey) and swoons into his arms after he calls backstage for her after her evening performance. Philippe finds out about the affair and wants to kick himself for arranging for the box seat at that evening’s performance. Now, with his relationship in serious trouble, he seeks counsel from good friend Claudine André (Jacqueline Delubac) whom he’s always been attracted to. Can she help reconcile the damaged couple or have things gone too far?

Quadrille is a typical 1930s sex comedy in the same style as Private Lives or Libeled Lady, both stories involving four adults in constantly changing couples. Though there is some wit, the basic situation isn’t as clever as in either of those other prime amusements nor is it as stylish or as well performed as those comedies. Guitry, despite a clever sequence of opening credits and some nice double exposures at the conclusion, directs rather blandly with none of the effervescence or variety found in the other films in this collection. Gaby Morlay tries for a kind of ditzy Grace Allen-style zaniness as she attempts to explain why her infidelity wasn’t bad, but the lines never quite catch fire. Guitry has his rapid patter honed to a fine science, and Jacqueline Delubac is smooth but unexciting as the faithful reporter friend of the couple. George Grey has the looks and spirit to carry off the matinee idol, and Pauline Carlton as a nosy chambermaid gets a prime moment or two.

Video Quality

The Story of a Cheat – 3/5

The film’s 1.33:1 theatrical aspect ratio is faithfully adhered to and windowboxed slightly in Criterion’s usual way. While the grayscale is pleasing and sharpness is above average, the age of the film means that there are scratches and some print damage that turn up off and on during the film. There’s some hair and debris also in evidence since Criterion doesn’t usually do any cleanup with their Eclipse releases. The white subtitles are easy to read. The film has been divided into 15 chapters.

The Pearls of the Crown – 4/5

The film’s 1.33:1 theatrical aspect ratio is faithfully adhered to and windowboxed slightly in Criterion’s usual style. The film is in better condition than The Story of a Cheat with only a minor scratch or two and a little flicker to detract from the overall excellence of the image quality. Grayscale is nicely delivered, and sharpness is well above average. The white subtitles are easy to read. The film has been divided into 12 chapters.

Désiré – 4/5

The film’s 1.33:1 theatrical aspect ratio is faithfully adhered to and windowboxed slightly in Criterion’s usual style. Apart from three separate reels which end with some very noticeable print damage along the right edge of the frame, the transfer is very handsomely presented with an excellent grayscale rendering and superb black levels. For a film of this age, clarity is pretty remarkable and most impressive. The white subtitles are easy to read. The film has been divided into 9 chapters.

Quadrille – 3/5

The film’s 1.33:1 theatrical aspect ratio is faithfully adhered to and windowboxed slightly in Criterion’s usual style. There is some print damage near the top of the frame that turns up through most of the film, and there are other random scratches and light stripes which appear from time to time. Otherwise, the image is sharp and reasonably detailed for a film of this age. The white subtitles are easy to read. The film has been divided into 8 chapters.

Audio Quality

The Story of a Cheat – 2.5/5

The Dolby Digital 1.0 audio track has hiss ever-present though it’s not especially loud. There’s also some crackle on the soundtrack. Obviously, the recording has very limited fidelity, and the high end of the music score can sometimes sound a bit screechy.

The Pearls of the Crown – 3/5

The Dolby Digital 1.0 track (which contains the original French, English, and Italian dialogue depending on the characters who are talking) does have some low level hiss that’s notable in the quieter scenes. While the combination of dialogue, music, and sound effects is mostly nicely mixed, there is occasionally some rumbling distortion in the low end of the audio spectrum.

Désiré – 3/5

The Dolby Digital 3.0 audio track begins very strongly, but in the second half of the film, hiss begins to make its presence known more forcefully. There is also some scratchy distortion in the lower levels of Jean Francaix’s music score.

Quadrille – 3.5/5

The Dolby Digital 1.0 audio track has only faint distortion with the music at odd moments. Otherwise, the mono track carries the dialogue, music, and sound effects clearly and distinctly.

Special Features

Criterion’s Eclipse releases do not contain bonus features, but each of the four slimline cases does contain a interesting liner notes/history of the film and filmmaker written by Michael Koresky.

In Conclusion

Presenting Sacha Guitry is one of the strongest of Criterion’s most recent series of Eclipse releases, four wonderfully entertaining comedies featuring one of international cinema’s most individualistic directors (the one-of-a-kind credit sequences alone of these films make them worth seeing). Highly recommended!

Matt Hough

Charlotte, NC