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LACOMBE, LUCIEN
Louis Malle, France, 1974
Saturday 10 July 2004 11.40pm-1.55am
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An involving, carefully paced and characteristically even-handed coming-of-age tale, Louis Malle's Lacombe, Lucien forms a fascinating companion piece to its predecessor, 1971's Le Souffle au Coeur. However, it's more commonly associated with the director's later masterpiece Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987), which shares a similar wartime milieu.
Set in occupied France, the film opens in the summer of 1944 as Lucien, our troubled, bull-headed teen hero, expresses an interest in assisting the local resistance movement. He is turned down and, after a chance encounter, signs up as a collaborator for the Gestapo instead. Easily seduced by the power and apparent glamour of the position, he fingers one of his villagers (an old teacher) and relishes a newfound sense of belonging that allows him to forget his old life. The Gestapo also allows Lucien to give in to his most nihilistic urges. When he develops a strained relationship with a Jewish tailor - and falls for his beautiful daughter - he becomes increasingly compromised and is forced into examining his real identity.
Like Le Souffle au Coeur, Lacombe, Lucien offers a complex treatment of age and the relationship between different generations. One of that earlier film's more fascinating qualities is its depiction of children striving to act older than their years (both Laurent and his brothers dress up as their parents). In Lacombe, Lucien, the hero assumes a position of authority without maturity, playing the role of a Gestapo officer as he sees fit and lording his power over the tailor (significantly, old enough to be his father).
It's compelling to watch Lucien's step gain more swagger and Pierre Blaise - a non-professional plucked from obscurity - is perfect for the part, combining boyish good looks with a solid, commanding build. He ensures that the smallest scenes pack the biggest punch. When the film ends, you realise just how few characters Malle has followed and appreciate how resolutely Blaise has risen to his challenge.
Chris Wiegand
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Lacombe, Lucien was photographed by Tonino Delli Colli, famous for his work on Fellini's last films.
