Devil in the Flesh

This brilliant adaptation by Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost of eighteen year old Raymond Radiguet's controversial novel published shortly before his death of typhoid fever, provoked no less a scandal when first released, being described by self-appointed guardians of morality as 'sordid, suggestive' and even 'a flood of filth'. Such opinions of course only served to increase public interest, the film gained international recognition and established Gérard Philippe as THE romantic actor of his generation.

The exceptionally gifted Philippe initially expressed reluctance to play Francois as he felt that he was too old for the role. He succeeds however in portraying the turmoil of adolescence and to have cast an immature teenage actor in the part would have been unthinkable. His leading lady, Micheline Presle, although roughly the same age, has a maturity way beyond her years and this exquisite artiste's performance as Marthe is deeply touching. Great support is provided by Denise Grey and the always-good-value Jean Debucourt.

Always one to challenge conventional morality, this is arguably Claude Autant-Lara's finest achievement, aided immeasurably by Michel Kelber's somber cinematography, Max Douy's atmospheric sets, René Cloerec's passionate score and the screenplay by Aurenche and Bost which depicts this love affair as 'a sand castle which the tide will carry away.'

Best to leave the final words to the director: "It was not an easy film to make but we claim the merit of handling the story without flinching."

Micheline Presle(1922-2024) "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

it is not say why. sure, for Gerard Philipe and for the ideal director for Radiguet adaptation. for beautiful flash backs and for the bitter taste of the end. for Micheline Presle and for of romanticism who , defining the period of a war, gives right perspective about the expectations after the end of the other. it is a film who you feel more than see. because it gives entire force of a novel, the spirit of an young writer, the genius of a great actor and the French respiration of tragic stories about love, errors, fear and fall.so, a gem. a real special one.

Why 9 instead of 10? Because films seen long ago are not always, on re-viewing, as good as they seemed at the time, when one was younger; and I have no idea whether or not this will be the case here. The restaurant scene in which Philipe, to impress Presle, returns the wine lingers still in my memory as both comic and touching. I don't remember when I saw it (and returned to see it again). While I think I was between 18 and 21, I may have been older. Needless to say, I loved it. I even went to the library and read the Radiguet book on which it was based. More recently, I've searched for it on VHS and DVD. No luck. With The Charterhouse of Parma and Fanfan the Tulip now out on DVD, perhaps this one will appear soon. And The Red and the Black not cut for US distribution. One can only hope.

This was on BBC television, dubbed into English, in the early sixties. No other film has had quite the same effect. I remember begging my father not to start watching the film as it was already 10.15 p.m. and we had to get up the next day for school and work respectively. In the end we were totally captivated by the harrowing story of a young man (Gérard Philipe) who causes the death, through adultery, of the wife of a serving WW1 soldier.

Particularly memorable is the use of flashbacks, introduced by the eerie sound of church bells winding down, as one might slow down a gramophone record, and the historical background, including a scene of premature celebration of the end of the war.

It is sad that the director, Claude Autant-Lara, turned out to be the French equivalent of a Nazi, and you wonder if that fact has led to a virtual embargo on the film, and that is why it seems to have disappeared. That is a pity. If that criterion were applied to works of art in general then a number of books or pieces of music, or whatever, would be banned because of the activities or opinions of their creators. 'Devil in the Flesh' is a shattering masterpiece, and deserves to be seen again. It is my favourite film of all time.

Fact 1:Claude Autant-Lara's mother was a pacifist activist.She was a thespian of la Comedy Française and she was fired because of her opinions in WW1.She was even jailed.

When it was released,"le Diable au Corps" caused a scandal;well-meaning people were saying that the Army ,the Red Cross,the soldiers and their wives were dragged through the mud.Autant Lara was a rebel at the time:conformism was not his way ,as such works as "Douce" had already shown.Raymond Radiguet's novel was tailor made for him.

Gerard Philipe was too old for the part:he was supposed to be 17,and he was actually born the same year as his co-star Micheline Presles!That's why such lines as "When you're young,I'll be old" cannot be taken too seriously by those who know the two French actors.But anyway Philippe's youthful looks can delude people quite well.

The film is a long flashback,with a prologue ,a scene in the middle of the film and an epilogue in the present.François attends her lover's funeral .Autant-Lara ,who was first a film editor ,makes the best of the sound effects and the fuzziness of the pictures when he introduces the three long flashbacks.This woman was married to a soldier gone to war.

Lines have warned us before the cast and credits;in brief,this is par excellence a romantic movie;some scenes are quite remarkable:

-The lovers in front of the fireplace,then boating on the lake where they are not sheltered from the outside world .

-The landing-stage ,which plays a prominent part in the story:when she leaves,it may be the last goodbye;the night they pretend they did not come to the rendezvous (and they both did).

• Marthe's coffin taken out of the church,when the crowd cries out of joy ,rejoices and applauds.Is it to celebrate the Armistice or to the adulteress 'death."Now,it's women's turn to die" a man yells.

FACT2: in the late fifties ,A.L.,who had not yet lost his bite,planned to make a movie about a burning subject:the contentious objector "Tu ne tueras Point".Gerard Philippe had agreed to play the lead,but he died before the movie could begin to be filmed (the censorship was harsh in the Algeria War years)and was replaced by Laurent Terzieff.

As an user points out,"Le Diable Au Corps" seems to have vanished into thin air.It has not been screened for years (more than 20 years).Is it because of the remake?Or like "Tu ne Tueras Point" which was never broadcast,is the subject still too scandalous?

FACT 3:A.L could never get over the Nouvelle Vague's (and others)attacks and if my memory serves me well,he gave some of his works to the Swiss government -"cause there(France) they ignore me,they despise me"-As an user wrote,he did support the far right wing circa 1980 till his death.(in spite of such works as "Le Franciscain de Bourges" (1967) an extraordinary performance by Hardy Kruger playing a Nazi priest,a saint in a living hell)