When ‘Lucie Aubrac‘, Claude Berri‘s 1997 film, was made, the story of Resistance and love at the heart of the film was already more than half a century old history, but its main characters were still alive. Lucie and Raymond Aubrac, communist fighters in the anti-Nazi Resistance, had survived the war and become national heroes for most of the French, but also controversial figures for some. They had been involved in the fall of an important part of the leadership of the Resistance, led by Jean Moulin, probably due to a betrayal that even to this day has not been fully elucidated. The script of the film ‘Lucie Aubrac‘ is based on the memoirs of the heroine who gives the title of the film and presents the point of view of the Aubracs, dressing the episode of arrest and betrayal in a romantic love story. It could be that the historical part and the love story are both true. But illustrating a personal version of history in a controversial case is not the best starting material for a film that has ambitions of authenticity. It is probably one of the reasons why ‘Lucie Aubrac‘ fails to convince to the end and the film does not live up to its promises. Luminous, unblemished characters are not ideal material for a film about a controversial case in troubled and dark times.
Raymond and Lucie Aubrac had met and married just before the outbreak of World War II. Raymond was a civil engineer and an officer in the French army, a leader of the Resistance, a politician and an activist after the war – quite an interesting personality, but this is not visible much on screen, the film rather assigning him the role of the husband repeatedly rescued from detentions by the devoted wife. At the center of the story is placed the character of Lucie, with her struggles to free her husband, through ruse, threats and armed actions. The couple was heavily involved in the Resistance struggle and Raymond had been one of the eight heads of the organization arrested in Lyon in 1943. The woman’s passion and devotion will overcome all obstacles. They also dominate the film.
The historical reconstruction is very well done – the setting, clothing, cars, trams and the characters’ way of speaking. Detention and brutal interrogations are shown without avoiding details. The role of Raymond is played by Daniel Auteuil, an actor I really like. Here he makes the most of the script, but the historical personality of the man would have allowed, I think, a more complex representation. Because of the script, the role of Lucie Aubrac becomes key. Carole Bouquet physically meets the requirements, she is excellently dressed and all the stills look very good. On the screen, however, something is missing – the charm that would make the love story believable and the magnetism that would convince us that the heroine could really pull the strings with the occupation police chiefs and organize the armed actions that freed Raymond. The role was originally to be played by Juliette Binoche, who dropped out of filming after two weeks due to ‘artistic differences’ with Claude Berri. How ‘Lucie Aubrac‘ would have looked and how it would have been appreciated with Juliette Binoche instead of Carole Bouquet is an exercise in imagination and a chapter in an alternative history of cinema.