I accuse Polanski of making an average film

Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier

J'accuse, Roman Polanski's new film has just been released. It tells the story of the condemnation of the French soldier and Jew Alfred Dreyfus (Louis Garrel) and the discovery of his innocence by Major Picquart, promoted to lieutenant-colonel (Jean Dujardin). Plagued by polemics about what he allegedly did forty years earlier, and by new accusations, Polanski's work is, to say the least, average. And that's the only thing we're interested in here.

Let's review the facts. At the end of the 19th^th In France in the 19th century, a political and judicial hurricane shook the country and the whole of Europe, against a backdrop of growing anti-Semitism and ideological tensions. Captain Alfred Dreyfus, of Alsatian origin and Jewish faith, was condemned by the French state for betraying the army. He was sent to the penal colony in French Guiana. A major miscarriage of justice, in fact: the officer was innocent and the evidence cited for his conviction, based on the writing of a manuscript, was false. The anti-Semitism of the general staff was exposed.

The ’Dreyfus Affair« itself, which has gone down in history under this name, is now famous. On January 13 1898, Emile Zola published in the newspaper L'Aurore his text «J'accuse...!», a letter to French President Félix Faure in which the renowned writer denounces the judicial scandal and asserts that Alfred Dreyfus is innocent. Zola was then condemned by the State for defamation, to the maximum penalty. The media coverage of this high-profile trial led to a split in public opinion across the country between Dreyfus supporters and anti-Dreyfus supporters.

A weak investigative film

The originality of Roman Polanski's screenplay, based on this affair, lies in its focus on Commandant Picquart, his arrival at the head of the intelligence service, his growing doubts about Dreyfus's guilt, and his difficult journey to prove his innocence. Marie-Georges Picquart fought against his own side, that of the institutions of the French army and state. His investigator's thirst for truth is in itself a fine piece of filmmaking, and places the film in the vein of a detective story. With, of course, all the suspense and sobriety this demands.

But even this central element, which was supposed to give the film its solidity, is not entirely successful - as witnessed by the unsuccessful performance of Jean Dujardin, an actor who is rarely good outside of comedies, and who thinks that seriousness comes from frowning and stiff limbs, without pathos. Ridiculous, poor guy. Almost as much as in Le Daim. And yet, it's hard to blame him, given that the entire 2:12 film - which is far too long, by the way - suffers from unnecessary slowness and is based on a caricatured vision of the late 19th century.^th century, made up of mustaches, monocles and tough guys.

As for the rest of the film, let's face it, it can be summed up in very few words: an absolute void. A total absence of things to say. It's hard, then, to join Polanski's unconditional fans in praising his genius, as if the Franco-Polish filmmaker, a Jew to boot, were immune to non-excellence. But to be able to say that, you have to go and see his films, and therefore fight the boycott of the howling pack, popular and media, who spit on the man while ignoring fundamental principles such as the presumption of innocence, the burden of proof or the obligation to defend oneself.

So that's the case, not the Dreyfus case, but my case, and the case that should be ours: let us be allowed to go and see... J'accuse just to show that it's a mediocre, boring feature film. May we be allowed not to cry with the wolves of slander and defilement of a man, but may we also be allowed not to fall for the other side of the self-righteous coin that Polanski delivers prodigious cinema every time. I admire the artist Polanski, I don't know the man, I hate the pack and, above all, I try to judge each work for what it is, humbly and honestly.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Frenetic Films