Le Roman D'un Tricheur

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William L A charming mix of lighthearted comedy and satire on morality and chance, Guitry's The Story of a Cheat may be a bit obvious in places and wander a bit too much throughout its subplots, but when the film is good, it's great. A play on the classical interpretation of honesty, where adherence to a set of strict values will surely result in a positive outcome, Guitry immediately sets his protagonist to be spared an unfortunate early grave by an act of dishonesty, and continues to expand from there with moments of wry humor, often accentuated by clever editing. I can't call it a perfectly designed film, with moments such as the explanations of dishonest betting tactics feeling like a drag even on the short runtime, and the various tweaks to the moral fiber of the protagonist not always coming across as clearly as they might have, but a very enjoyable film nonetheless. (4/5) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/21 Full Review Audience Member Cast and crew introduction was quite theatrical and speaking in terms of cinema, quite unconventional as well. The rest of the film was a fast paced story, containing elements of the Great Mute and talkies and mostly covered with the witty voice over narrative by Guitry himself and that story telling idea (sitting in a public place and share story with others) proceeded "Forrest Gump" by decades. By my opinion the film was fresh a a dawn. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Quel verbe ! Sacha Guitry est définitivement l'un des plus grands ^^ Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member L'esprit leger et caustique de Guitry m'enchante. Qualifie de film muet sonore a cause de l'omnipresence du recitant, l'histoire batie sur l'idee que l'honnetete ne paie pas est toujours surprenante et anticonformiste. Un reel plaisir. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member « Si la grande originalité du Roman d'un tricheur est d'être l'unique film de fiction de l'histoire du cinéma qui soit commenté par une voix off à 90 pour 100, son immense mérite est d'avoir fait oublier cette particularité au point que des spectateurs interrogés à la sortie de la salle croiront avoir vu un film joué et parlé directement. » (François Truffaut, Le Cinéma et moi). Il est vrai que la « mise en scène » relève ici de la « mise en sons » pour citer à nouveau Truffaut, et quelle magie : cela marche. Guitry, mégalomane à ses heures, s’impose comme un auteur au sens total du terme : à la fois réalisateur, scénariste, acteur et narrateur, il multiplie les casquettes pour mieux dominer son film : seule sa voix est entendue tout au long du Roman d’un tricheur, et la récurrence des plans où il écrit son journal rappelle qu’il en est l’auteur. Au-delà de la performance et de l’audace du film, encore fait unique à ce jour, c’est l’humour noir de Guitry qui fait mouche, du petit garçon sauvé de la mort par un petit vol à ce grand séducteur condamné à ne pas être honnête. Bien sûr, le film a pris un sacré coup de vieux, et les décors de studios sentent le renfermé mais quel plaisir continu durant une petite heure vingt de voir cet artiste approcher le cinéma de manière littéraire plus que théâtrale et de s’amuser d’une telle façon avec le son, encore neuf à l’époque. Un classique incontournable. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Guitry has a blast with the form, from the introductions to all the cast and crew at the beginning to the way almost the entire story is told in narration (except for the parts that aren't flashback). It's a very lively, playful and inventive film. So why didn't I love it more? It was amusing but never funny, clever but never impressive, engaging but never enthralling. It's cute and charming enough, and I wanted to see how the story would unfold... it just doesn't deliver that something extra. I enjoyed it though. Doesn't hold up as the "masterpiece" it's often hailed as, but it's fun. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Le Roman D'un Tricheur

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