Mother

I was extremely blessed to see the U.S. television debut of Visages d'enfants on Turner Classic Movies. My god, this was a masterpiece. Why can't contemporary films be half as good? The children were superb! The acting was magnificent. I thought Jean Forest was astonishing as Jean. Such superb acting from a 12 year old. His performance in the first five minutes of the film is exquisite. I thought Arlette Peyran, portraying Jean's step-sister was magnificent as well. I was just depressed to learn that this was her only film! How unfortunate. She had star written all over her. The adult actors are wonderful. I loved Rachel Devirys portrayal of the step-mother. Such love and grace in that performance. The scenery (all shot on location in the Alps) is glorious. This was a perfect film. The music was heavenly. PLEASE SEE THIS FILM.

After eighty years it is quite remarkable that this film presents such a keen glimpse into the minds eye of a child.

Breathtaking scenery and brilliant cinematography help to capture the raw wild beauty of a troubled child's view of the world.

It would take many years and the brilliance of a Bergman or Lean to recapture such insight and clarity of vision on film.

One interesting note...I think I discovered a rather major gaffe not mentioned on IMDb.

The csreen fades out on a visciously chilling depiction of a brutally cold night (which includes a character being rescued from an avalanche of snow...a title reads "The Next Morning"....and we are suddenly in spring (if not summer) and the horse drawn sleigh of the previous scenes is now a cart...

Still...an otherwise brilliant and fascinating film.

In the mountains of Saint-Luc, devastated pre-teen Jean Forest (as Jean Amsler) attends the funeral of his mother. Too young to understand, little sister Pierrette Houyez (as Pierrette) happily plays at home. She will be told mother is on a trip. Despondent father Victor Vina (as Pierre) is especially concerned about raising his girl without a mother. Soon, he passes on visiting his deceased wife's grave with son Jean to spend time with neighboring widow Rachel Devirys (as Jeanne Dutois). They are married and Ms. Devirys moves in with her own daughter, Arlette Peyran (as Arlette). Shuttled away for the wedding, Jean resents the intrusion...

This excellent silent is almost derailed in the early running. Specifically, it is when young Jean is determined too sensitive to attend his father's second marriage and sent off to live with his godfather (Henri Duval). The kindly priest's mission is to break the news to Jean gently, and return him within a month. It ends with Mr. Duval dropping Jean off some distance from his house; the boy walks home, alone and unannounced. Then Duvall, presumably a close family friend, is not seen again. All in all, this is a strange way for the adults in this drama to treat a child. It illustrates isolation, of course, but could have been left out or done more eloquently...

However, there are no problems understanding this story. In the opening, director Jacques Feyder crushes the screen with the dead mother's coffin, which we see through the eyes of her son. The death of a parent and introduction of a replacement has a profound effect on young Jean. We feel the full weight of that casket. Performers, especially the children, are captured acting naturally. Location photography of the Swiss Alps is beautiful, especially as set up and angled by Mr. Feyder and his crew. The indoor/outdoor sets are terrific, also. And, the ending approaches D.W. Griffith's "Way Down East" (1920) in icy edited excitement.

******** Visages d'enfants (1/24/25) Jacques Feyder ~ Jean Forest, Victor Vina, Rachel Devirys, Henri Duval

Just saw the film with live music in Helsinki. It's amazing how he was able to make such a film over 80 years ago (it was shot 1922). And, unlike many other soundless films, it was not at all over-acted. Plus the children were unbelievable! They make films today with a thousand cameras and months for editing it and this one is more powerful than many those of our time. Wow.

I just wonder how long time did they have for shooting the film.

What can I say, whosoever has the chance to see it, highly recommended!

'Faces of children' is an astonishing picture, based on an original screenplay by J. Feyder and his wife, F. Rosay. It is a major masterpiece in the history of the 7th art. Its main theme is the bond between a mother and her child even after the mother's death. The editing is fascinating: one frame cuts (a technique later used by D. Vertov and A. Resnais) to evoke an obsessive dream, and the cutting and mixing of two scenes in order to enhance the dramatic tension. Other elements are fetishism (see L. Buñuel) and the bringing to life of a portrait in order to stress the unconscious emotional bond between mother and child. The directing of the children is simply superb. Akira Kurosawa explained it later so wonderfully: art is not the expression of (the artist's) personal emotions, but the engendering of emotions in the heart of the spectator.The latter should really share the joys and pains of the characters on the screen. Therefore, the directing must be focused on doing things 'naturally'. Jacques Feyder knew this all important message instinctively. He was a real master of Art.

This all important masterpiece is a must see for all movie buffs.