«Notre-Dame brûle»: a stifling Christian thriller

Cinema Wednesdays - Fanny Agostino

Dismay, worry and anticipation. Such was the state of mind shared by many Parisians on April 15, 2019, when the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris went up in flames amidst general panic. Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Name of the Rose, The truth about Harry Quebert) offers a strictly chronological account. With its documentary feel, this fictionalized thriller follows the events as they unfold. With his nose in the soup, the director unfortunately lacks perspective.

Let's stop the wild speculation right now. Annaud will not reveal any «truth» about the cause of the fire. The beginning of the film suggests a number of possible causes: an incandescent cigarette butt, old flammable products left to deteriorate, dilapidated woodwork and lack of maintenance. Faithful to the events, the director unfolds the points of view, the hazardous circumstances - sometimes implausible - that led to the destruction of Viollet-le-Duc's spire and a breach in the monument's central vault. From the American tourist to the firefighters, time passes and the drama intensifies. The viewer is caught up in the moment, just as the firefighters are caught up in the flames.

The film's first twenty minutes or so stand out from the catastrophic - or should we say apocalyptic? - of the second half. The first half of the film depicts the cathedral's surroundings and the incessant crowds it draws from morning to night. Through successive shots, the history of Notre-Dame is revealed... and invented: the figures given by the guides are never identical, and the tone of the mise-en-scène is sometimes ironic towards visitors armed with selfie poles. The shots are exhausting, scrutinizing the nooks and crannies of Notre-Dame: panoramic views are multiplied, dolly shots and rapid editing breathe a dazzling, enchanting rhythm into the film.

Fervour without audacity

Then the narrative shifts to the point of view of the firefighters. Throughout, we sense the director's respect for the men and women who found themselves on the front line. The fruit of a lengthy investigation by Annaud's teams, the firefighters' itinerary and actions are meticulously reported. The impossibility of immediate intervention due to the density of traffic around the Ile de la Cité, the ill-advised rescue of the Crown of Thorns, the vagueness of the decisions taken by Emmanuel Macron...

Yet this complexity is never approached from a distance; the spectator is put under tension, absorbed by a thunderous soundtrack and images of the cathedral on fire. The effervescence takes hold of us and leaves us with no respite. Even though the film is built like a thriller, we would have appreciated a few moments of breathing space, in the form of flashbacks for example.

This is compounded by the ostentatious nature of the scenes, with their emphasis on the mystical. The miracle of the building still standing enthuses Annaud to reproduce a religious effervescence. Piety is caricatured to the extreme, as in the dialogue between two firemen about saving the chalice, or a prayer sequence worthy of Titanic... Too much in touch with its history, Notre-Dame burns... but not the viewer's heart.

Write to the author: fanny.agostino@leregardlibre.com