Eine wunderbare Liebe

The most renowned film of Geza von Radvanyi in his native Hungary is undoubtedly the neorealist 'Somewhere in Europe' of 1948. His later German films are far more 'traditional' in style the best known of which is the remake of 'Girls in Uniform'. Here we have what I believe to be his only film made in France. It is a touching tale of a middle aged, terminally ill man who gambles his pension money in a casino and wins a life-changing amount. He does not wish to leave such a massive sum to his ghastly, dysfunctional family and decides to father a child. He chooses a young, shy and pretty dancer to be a surrogate mother. This is essentially a vehicle for Michel Simon, an instinctive and magnificent actor who claimed never to have had an acting lesson and whose film career spanned half a century, interrupted only by a serious illness in the late 1950's. His astounding presence and the range of emotions he expresses in this make his a performance to treasure. He is ably supported by Yves Deniaud as a faithful friend and the dancer is played by the delightful Genevieve Page in an early role. The family 'adviser' who has the idea of declaring Monsieur Bard insane, is played by Louis de Funes whose appeal has always eluded me.. Radvanyi has the services of one of the worlds greatest cinematographers L. H. Burel and the beautifully understated score is by J. J. Grunenwald. A scene in a church where an organist is playing Bach reminds us that Grunenwald was not only an acclaimed interpeter of that composer but also became titular organist at Saint Sulpice in Paris. An engaging piece in which Michel Simon transcends the art of film acting.