The most memorable of the lead heroes of ‘Chouans!‘, the 1988 historical movie directed by
Philippe de Broca is Count Savinien de Kerfadec played by the formidable Philippe Noiret. A man of the Enlightenment, an inventor passionate about science and reason but refusing to give up his faith, he is a character full of life, wisdom and humanity, who dominates the story and the film. Dramas and revolutions take place around him and his life is not spared by tragedies starting with the death of his wife at the birth of his only son, which takes place in the opening scene of the film, but his attitude remains serene and positive even when the world around him falls apart and social conventions collapse. This positive approach radiates throughout the film and makes the viewing experience captivating and, unexpectedly, optimistic, although the film unabashedly covers one of the bloodiest and most controversial periods in French history – the years of revolutionary terror.
Unlike many other films dealing with the events of the fall of the Bastille and the years that followed, ‘Chouans!‘ it takes place neither in Paris nor at Versailles, and the heroes of the film are neither kings nor leaders of the revolution. The episode described in the film takes place in 1793-94 and is less well known – it is about the revolt of three departments in Brittany against the revolutionary regime of terror that had executed Louis XVI, a popular revolt but one incited by the nobility and the clergy who had lost their properties and privileges. The deep fracture of the French society of the time passes through the family of the liberal count of Kerfadec and among the three young people raised from childhood under his tutelage – his son, the daughter adopted on the same night of his son’s birth, and another young man adopted a little later, in his childhood. The two men will end belonging to the opposing political camps, and their romantic rivalry will intensify, becoming a relationship mixing brotherhood and hatred.
Philippe de Broca brings back to the screen something of the light and optimistic approach from his youth films (‘Cartouche‘, ‘That Man from Rio‘) and the chosen solution works unexpectedly well, mitigating the drama of historical or fictional events that are presented on screen. The bloody confrontation between the revolutionary and royalist camps almost turns into a series of ‘cape and sword’ confrontations. The idea of inventing flying machines a century or so in advance is unexpected, funny and well inserted into the story. Political satire spares none of the camps, and the feelings of the triangle of young lovers will inevitably be influenced by the crumbling down of the world around them. Philippe Noiret dominates the film in one of his most complex and solid roles from the peak period of his career. Sophie Marceau was just 21 when she filmed ‘Chouans!‘ and her talent and beauty shine. The two rivals are played by Lambert Wilson and Stephane Freiss, very suitable for their respective roles. The only major problem of this production stems in my opinion from the fact that what we see on the big screen (and lasts over 2 hours and 20 minutes) is an abbreviated version of a 4-hour television mini-series. The result is that in some places there are missing connecting scenes that would have clarified details of the story, and some of the (quite numerous) supporting characters do not have enough screen time to develop and reveal themselves to the public. It would be interesting if a complete copy of the film was restored and screened in cinemas or on television, after all nowadays a duration of almost 4 hours is not as intimidating as it was over 30 years ago. ‘Chouans!‘ it is not only an important landmark in the careers of the filmmakers and actors who participated in its production, but also a pleasant and interesting film to watch today.