The Red and the Black

Anyone familiar with Stendhal's "The Red and the Black" knows the tragic tale of Julien Sorel, a carpenter's son born too late to rise in Napoleon's army and escape his lowly station. In this 1954 adaptation, Gérard Philipe takes on the role of Julien, though at 32, he's too old to convincingly play the brooding, impetuous youth. Philipe's natural charm doesn't quite fit Julien's darker, more unpleasant nature.

Julien becomes a tutor for the sons of Mme de Rênal (Darrieux), a pious, repressed woman who inevitably falls for him. Their passionate affair is soon cut short by the looming threat of scandal. After a stint at a seminary, Julien finds himself working for the haughty Marquis de la Mole and tangling with his snobbish daughter, Mathilde (Lualdi), in a love-hate dynamic. Julien aims to seduce her out of pride, while Mathilde battles her attraction to someone beneath her station. Just as they become engaged, tragedy strikes with the vengeful return of Mme de Rênal.

Modern viewers might find Julien's constant self-pity and manipulative seductions tiresome. His endless monologues and twisted feelings about love don't do much to endear him, despite Philipe's solid performance. Darrieux's Mme de Rênal is hardly better - her tormented guilt feels more like a way to make adultery spicier. Thankfully, Lualdi as Mathilde injects some much-needed life into this otherwise gloomy affair.

The version I watched suffered from faded, drab colors, making it hard to appreciate the settings. Many scenes looked painfully staged, with windows opening onto what seemed like white backdrops. Not exactly visually stunning.