‘La kermesse héroique‘ (‘Carnival in Flanders’ in the English distribution) was a completely unexpected discovery for me, especially since I knew almost nothing about any of the directors or actors who participated in the production with the exception of Louis Jouvet. Director Jacques Feyder was born in Belgium, but had been living in France and had acquired French citizenship for several years when he made this film in 1935. A combination of satirical farce and moral farce (in the good tradition of Molière) and historical fresco, ‘La kermesse héroique‘ is an interesting film, discussed at its time and still debatable today, due to the way it approaches the theme of European wars and the relations between an occupying army and the population of an occupied country. It is at the same time a bold film in a period when Puritanism was taking hold of Hollywood through the legislation of the (in)famous code, a film in which much was invested in sets and costumes and whose artistic qualities are amplified by a broad and inventive cinematography. I am quite surprised that the filmmakers of the New Wave (and especially Truffaut) were very critical and refused to see in this film a precursor, both in terms of thematic approach and cinematic technique.
The story takes place in 1616 in Flanders under Spanish rule. The animated but peaceful life of the inhabitants of a small town is disturbed by the news that one of the dignitaries of the Spanish occupiers, together with his entourage and military guard, will spend a night in the city. The population fears the robbery and violence that the soldiers of the occupiers bring with them. The men decide to hide their weapons and the mayor will even pretend to be dead to try to fool the Spanish. The women take the initiative and decide to adopt a different tactic: they will organize a party with drinking, music, dancing to amuse and entertain the enemies. Will this stratagem work?
The script, based on a short story by Charles Spaak, a writer very involved in cinema (he collaborated with scripts and dialogues for over a hundred films), offers an alternative of the relations between an aggressor army and the population of an occupied country that was problematic even in the period between the two world wars and is still a good source of debate today. The other conflicting line is that of the relations between men and women, but here there are famous precedents starting with Aristophanes’ ‘Lysistrata’. Are we dealing with a eulogy of collaborationism or a pacifist alternative? In 1935, this film was a co-production and had a German version, which was initially screened in the Reich, only to be banned at the beginning of World War II. The film was praised by some and criticized by others, and the debate can continue today.
Technically, the film is surprisingly sophisticated and interesting. To authentically and picturesquely reproduce Flanders at the beginning of the 17th century, Jacques Feyder built a 1:1 scale medieval town in the studios, designed by the exceptional artistic director Lazare Meerson, a creator who died tragically young, who had also collaborated with René Clair on ‘A nous la liberté’. Marcel Carné was a production assistant, and the cinematography belongs to the American Harry Stradling Sr.. How could Truffaut not notice the outstanding framing, the unique angles and spectacular shots almost a century before the invention of drones, or the use of the mobile camera a quarter of a century before the Nouvelle Vague? Stylistically, the cinematography, sets and costumes recreate the atmosphere of the paintings of the Flemish masters. A painter named Brueghel, involved in a secondary love affair intrigue, is also one of the heroes of the film. The gallery of performers is rich and diverse, even if the style of the boulevard theater of the first half of the 20th century is quite evident. I cannot fail to mention the names of Françoise Rosay (Feyder‘s wife) who creates an assertive and militant feminist character and of Louis Jouvet in a delicious role of a Spanish monk with an inquisitor background. ‘La kermesse héroique‘ is not only an exemplary product of the period of poetic realism in the history of French cinema but also a film-spectacle that can be enjoyed with delight even today.