L'homme du large

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Nick M A man separates his newborn son from the rest of his family to raise him as the ultimate free man of the sea: a decision that has consequences for all involved. Marcel L'Herbier took a short story by Honoré de Balzac and transformed it into a modern, visionary avant-garde film. The intertitles, while dense, are handcrafted to fit organically into the world of the story. Some are interposed over shots of sea cliffs, the words cascading down the landscape. Others have the words woven into the pattern of the intricate stonework of churches, or are carved directly into stone themselves. Many are even interposed over part of the scenes themselves to limit the interruption of key moments in the narrative. The director takes such a strong hand in the construction of the film that one is always conscious of not just the story, but the way the story is being told. Usually this is to its benefit; devices such as the novel cuts, focused lighting, and dramatic tinting aided my interpretation of the picture considerably more than it distracted from it. Performances are generally strong, and notably - this is the film in which Charles Boyer made his cinematic debut. Finally, and clearly this was only done to increase our sense of just how debauched the tavern crowd was during one of the most memorable scenes in the film, a pair of woman is seen kissing and intertwining limbs under their table. While this is far from the first film to depict homosexuality or nontraditional sexual or gender expressions, it is unusual enough that it warrants mentioning. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews

L'homme du large

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