Coeur Fidele. 1923. Directed by Jean Epstein.

(12/19/99)

Another print with the intertitles removed. There was a synposis for this, but it was still seen at a big disadvantage.

Overall, I found this to be a much more interesting French "art film" of the 20's than L'Inhumaine. It was consistently interesting to watch. There were great shots of objects and a sense of place. One feels that the film was made by artists who really looked at the world around them and captured it on film, calling our attention to something as often overlooked as graffiti on walls.

The hero and heroine weren't very interesting characters. The hero, in particular, seemed quite lifeless. He seems vapid. The villain was the only interesting one of the major characters.
While visually interesting this picture wasn't terribly involving on an emotional level. I really didn't care that much about the characters. It came to life for a moment here and there--such as when hero and heroine meet again and embrace. The emotion was carried by their hands on each others' bodies.

The girl who walks with a crutch caught my attention. She seemed like something from a von Stroheim film--particularly when her crutch is run over by a truck (I think it was a truck) and she is left crawling around in the street, ignored by the villain.

I would definitely like to see this film again.