1984 was a good year for French films. Michel Blanc's "Marche à l'ombre" made a record six million admissions, while classics such as Lautner's "Joyeuses Pâques" and Verneuil's "Les morfalous" showed veteran actor Jean-Paul Belmondo's enduring popularity. In such a year, one can see why "Le Vol du Sphinx" failed to reach one million admissions. It fails in the aim it has set, and offers nothing new to make up for it.
The plot revolves around Tom, a nobody who lives in Marocco after a sentimental failure. He makes a living by transporting goods with his biplane, the Sphinx (hence the title, meaning "The fight of the Sphinx"). All this changes when he meets the beautiful Laura, the wife of an arms trafficker planning a shady affair with a businessman. So begins Tom and Laura's romance, and struggle to escape this situation obstructing their relationship.
While being labelled an adventure film, this one is mostly on the romantic side. There is no action whatsoever in the whole movie, except for a car chase with some shots between Souchon and his rival. This one, though, lacks any context in order to be made enjoyable to see, since the viewer has already lost their interest in the movie long before this scene takes place.
The director did no work of note here, just letting the actors play, and tracking their actions with the camera. I have to admit, though, that there was some excellent cinematography showing the viewers the beautiful Moroccan landscape.
The actors were average, which is undeserving to them as performers. Alain Souchon, a popular singer, interpreted Tom. He had a relationship of love with the cinema, and collaborated with François Truffaut on the music for "Love on the run" (1979), offering one of the best theme songs ever to grace a Truffaut film, "L'amour en fuite". Two years before "Le vol du Sphinx", he had played Pin-Pon, a man living in a small French village who falls in love with Isabelle Adjani, in box office hit "L'été meurtrier". His performance there was truly admirable, showing intensity and emotion. Here, he acts indifferently, except for some scenes of rage where he shows his ability to exhibit strong emotions. Generally, his acting feels plastic. As for his co-star Miou-Miou, she was also wasted playing his lover. She comes off as a spoilt rich woman whose sole interest is her affair, and doesn't show any of the features that made her performance memorable in "La femme flic" (1980). Of course, it makes no sense to compare a crime film with a love story, but she could have taken some lessons from Isabelle Adjani as to how one plays the lover of Alain Souchon.
The music was of no significance to my eyes. Composed entirely of instrumental pieces, it didn't impress me at all. I would call it average, although I appreciate the composer's effort to create a score fitting in the film, something in which he succeeded.
In conclusion, "Le Vol du Sphinx" is a film that is better missed. It isn't of interest neither for its acting, and plot, nor for its music, and direction. It's just mediocre. I completely understand its commercial failure, and recommend "L'été meurtrier" for a better performance of Alain Souchon. Otherwise, you'll be left in the desert of mediocrity (the sea having already dried), waiting for the Sphinx to come again and save you, in the form of a good film.
