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Le Bonheur
1934 Drama / Romance
Review
Le Bonheur is pretty typical of Marcel L’Herbier’s
output in the 1930s, a conventional piece of melodrama intended to showcase the stars
of the day, in this case Gaby Morlay and Charles Boyer. The latter was on the verge of
a huge film career in Hollywood and so this was to be one of his few significant roles
for French cinema. Le Bonheur is
miles away from the films with which Marcel L’Herbier is now most associated –
his ambitious classics of the silent era, such as
L’Argent (1929). The director’s
talents lie in use of scale and imagery, so his down-to-earth dramas are inevitably a
disappointment. Structurally and artistically, Le
Bonheur is okay but somewhat bland; a protracted courtroom scene drags the film’s
pace to a painful crawl; and the comic elements do not sit well along side the bleak,
noirish drama. Yet, for all its faults, Le Bonheur
is a charming piece of 1930s French cinema. It has Michel Simon, an asset
to any film of this period, and a pretty respectable performance from Charles Boyer (in
fact, one of his best). There’s also some scathing satire (admittedly
less forceful than in L’Herbier’s earlier films), and the atmospheric photography
skilfully reflects the changing moods of the film’s protagonists. Certainly,
Le Bonheur is far from being a masterpiece,
but it does have an enduring appeal.
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Director:
Marcel L’Herbier
Starring: Gaby Morlay, Charles Boyer, Michel Simon, Jaque Catelain, Paulette Dubost Synopsis
Clara Stuart, star of music hall and cinema, arrives in Paris, to great public acclaim.
She has everything – fame, wealth, and – through her aristocratic husband
– a title. Hence, whilst she is worshipped by the masses, she is the
object of hatred for Philippe Lutcher, am impoverished artist and notable anarchist.
Lutcher shoots Clara Stuart after she gives a public recital, but he cannot bring himself
to kill her. At his subsequent trial, the star attempts to plead in her assailant’s
favour, but Lutcher rejects her support. During Lutcher’s prison sentence,
the anarchist and the star communicate and reveal their love for one another. A
year later, Clara is ready to take Lutcher as a replacement for her husband. Then
Lutcher discovers that Clara is starring in a film which re-enacts their story…
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