Three directors ,parhaps not as overlooked as Bertrand Tavernier says,compared to such directors as Henri Calef ,Pierre Chenal or Albert Valentin,mentioned in other episodes in his voyage.
1°)Maurice Tourneur enjoyed a great career in the silent age ,but his talkies suffered accordingly."Justin De Marseille" is certainly an estimable work ,but I would not praise it as highly as Monsieur Tavernier;too much time whereas "La Main Du Diable" ( mentioned in the occupation days episodes)or "Volpone" are absent here."Au Nom De LA Loi" is a good thriller which gave French language the expression "Passer A Table" (idiomatism for: to talk,to come clean ,in a detective story contest).I would have passed over in silence ,Had I been in Tavernier's shoes, if only out of respect for the director ,"Les Gaietés De L'Escadron " , a coarse comedy which deals with the joys(?) of military service ,which seems obsolete today.
2)Raymond Bernard's "Les Croix De Bois" ,"which was screened every year on November the Eleventh ",on the other hand, has gained in strength over the years .Depicting the horrors of WW1 in a way to rival Kubrik's "paths of glory" ,it must be considered an all-time classic.Tavernier includes an interview with the director (archives) in which he told that he filmed where the slaughter took place and that they unearthed corpses who were identified ."Les Miserables " ,many consider the best version of the mammoth novel ,had a cast so strong (Harry Baur as Valjean ,Marguerite Moreno as La Thénardier, all would deserve to be mentioned) it would be hard to supersede it;Tavernier chose the luminous forgiveness scene of Monseigneur Myriel,and the impressive opening scene .I do not consider " Les Otages" and "Faubourg Montmartre" great Bernard works ,but his filmography ,as a whole,has to be upgraded (his remake of extravagant melodrama "Le Coupable" ,for instance ,or later "Le Jugement De Dieu" )
3)Anatole Litvak is not really "forgotten" as "sorry wrong number" "the snake pit" or "Anastasia " testify.But don't get Tavernier wrong :he 's speaking of his French movies (although "Mayerling" ,not mentioned here was a big success for Darrieux and Charles Boyer and opened the gates of Hollywood for him). "Coeur De Lilas" ,Tavernier points out ,is a stunning blend of genres ;"L'Equipage " features a sublime scene in which lovely Annabella searches her lover ,paying no attention to the wounded she meets on her way;the conventional husband/wife/lover love affair takes a back seat to successful aerial scenes and Vanel's performance makes up for Aumont's blandness.
4) Georges Van Parys and Jean Boyer : Annabella was René Clair's "14 Juillet " and "Le Million" star ".Georges Van Parys wrote the score for the latter but the songs seem straight from the ark nowadays,it was his debut after all.Greater stuff was to follow: "Prends La Route"by Jean Boyer had sung dialogues , thirty years before Demy;and the level-crossing scene is memorable .Boyer is certainly a much better director he's been given credit for;Van Parys does again (like in another episode ) his Arletty imitation in "Circonstances Atténuantes" ;"Un Mauvais Garçon " , a funny -but anti women's lib - comedy featured the infectious title track (a duet Danielle Darrieux /Henri Garat) covered by pop singer Renaud.And Boyer did make good movies after the thirties notably the excellent "Nous Irons A Paris " which dealt with pirate radios and featured the peppy "A La Mi-Aôut" .
Even if you do not always share Monsieur Tavernier's points of view,it is another essential viewing for people interested in the past of the French cinema.
