Aventure malgache

The film is about the French controlled island of Madagascar. Once the French surrendered to Germany in 1940 and became their allies, their colonies around the globe were left to decide whether to go along with the Vichy government or throw in their lot with the British and continue to fight the Nazis. The film particularly follows one man on the island who is the head of the underground movement.

This is a very odd film. During WWII, Alfred Hitchcock made two short propaganda films in French! Everyone speaks French and I wonder if Hitchcock himself understood the language. Considering how weak this short film is, I assume he didn't! Unlike most propaganda films, this film is way too talky and slow. Additionally, it's not exactly inspiring. There simply is no action or suspense and the film is amazingly uninspiring. All these factors led the British government to say "thanks but no thanks" to the director when he tried to help out with the war effort.

FYI--I noticed one reviewer gave the short a 10. When I checked, I noticed that out of dozens and dozens of their reviews I perused, all had received 10s--every last one.

It is interesting for Hitchcock completests in particular, but this is not an example of the great director being on top form. There are some imaginative directorial touches(in the camera work, humour and the theme with the double), a nice droll denouncement, some nicely crafted production values, some decent acting especially from Paul Claras and a playful yet haunting music score. Sadly for Aventure Malgache for all the good things there are a number of things that are not done very well. It is too heavy on the dialogue, which apart from the sly humour here and there veers on stilted and crass and it bogs the pacing down. The pacing does have some quick-moving scenes but the most talky scenes drag, while the storytelling does get confused and not the easiest to follow. There is not much exciting here either, it is the case of too much dialogue not enough action and there is little suspense too. And it does get bogged down in the propaganda elements, it makes its point but it doesn't hold up well and some may find the attitudes of the French being portrayed here rather insensitive(the reason why it stayed in the vaults for such a long time). In conclusion, an interesting short film and worth the look but Aventure Malgache is really not Hitchcock at his best and it doesn't ever rise above interesting curiosity value. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Adventure Malgache (1944)

** (out of 4)

The second of two propaganda films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Three actors are getting ready for rehearsals when one of them says he doesn't know how to play the part. Another actor then tells him a story of a man he knew who was running a radio broadcast to beat the Nazis. This was a confusing mess of a film that isn't nearly as good as the previous film Bon Voyage. There's way too much dialogue and it's never clear what the director is trying to do with the material.

Bon Voyage (1944)

*** 1/2 out of 4)

One of two Alfred Hitchcock directed shorts this one dealing with an escaped POW (John Blythe) who tells his Captain how he escaped only to have his Captain drop a bombshell on him. This was a wonderful little film that was a lot better than I expected. As usual, Hitchcock manages to build up some wonderful atmosphere and the "twist" in the story is very nicely done and works without any hitches.

A corrupt Vichy police official & a wily Resistance lawyer have their own intense AVENTURE MALAGACHE during the early years of the Second World War.

Although having lived in Hollywood since 1939, famed film director Alfred Hitchcock nevertheless wanted to be involved in some way with the British war effort against the Axis. So, in 1943 he returned to London & took up the assignment to direct a couple of propaganda films aimed at the French, under the auspices of the British Ministry of Information.

The two film shorts which resulted - BON VOYAGE & AVENTURE MALAGACHE (both 1944) - did not excite the Ministry and were given only very brief exhibition, after which they languished for decades in the vaults of the British Film Institute. Hitchcock, meanwhile, his war service satisfied, returned to California.

AVENTURE MALAGACHE (Adventure in Madagascar) is basically a look at the extreme antagonism between the two principal characters, cut off, as they are, from the main action of the War due to their Indian Ocean location. Extremely fast moving, it demands unblinking attention on the part of the viewer, especially if one must needs be forced to rely on the English subtitles. The acting & production values are quite good - Hitchcock was able to call upon the services of French actors, writers & technicians exiled in Britain.

"Aventure Malgache" is one of two short, French-language features that Alfred Hitchcock made during World War II as a tribute to the French Resistance. It is not as good as the other of these ("Bon Voyage"), but it will certainly be of interest to fans of the great director, and it is also a distinctive look at one of the more unknown aspects of World War II.

The film opens in a dressing room, as one of a group of French actors discusses how a character in their upcoming performance reminds him of his experiences on the island of Madagascar when it was taken over by the Axis. The story that he tells in flashback contains some suspense, but the main interest is psychological and historical. There were many on the island who wanted to resist Vichy rule, but they were split into various factions, and their attempts were further complicated by personal rivalries and agendas.

While there is not much action, it is interesting as a very different look at World War II than what we are used to seeing in the movies. There are some good Hitchcock touches of humor and mild suspense, and like "Bon Voyage", it is very similar in nature and length to an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".

If you are a Hitchcock fan, or if you are fascinated in everything about World War II, you should find "Aventure Malgache" of some interest.