LAFAYETTE

 

I was going through some of my back issues of CINEMA RETRO (a fine magazine, by the way) when I came across an article on the 1962 French film LAFAYETTE. This was an epic production about Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, and his involvement in the American Revolution. The CINEMA RETRO article detailed how this production was one of the most expensive French films up to that time, and how it was a 70mm epic with a running time of nearly three hours. 

I decided to see if I could find LAFAYETTE on any streaming channels or internet sites. I did find a 133 minute version of it on the Internet Archive, a version that also had the original French sound track with English subtitles. The presentation was in widescreen, and the picture quality, featuring bold colors, was fantastic. 

Nearly the entire film of LAFAYETTE revolves around the American Revolution. The young Marquis (Michel Le Royer) is a well-to-do young aristocrat with a beautiful wife, yet he's determined to help the rebels in North America fight for their independence against the British Empire. After much cajoling among the court of King Louis XVI, Lafayette finally arrives in America, and becomes close to George Washington (Howard St. John). Lafayette goes on to prove his worth to the American cause, and is present when the British General Cornwallis' army surrenders at Yorktown. 

LAFAYETTE is a well-mounted production, with plenty of extras, lots of soldiers and horseback riders, and many sweeping battle scenes. But it's lacking a certain emotional element. Lafayette is constantly going on about how much he is committed to the American cause, but he never really explains why (at least he didn't in the version I saw). Lafayette is also always virtuous and brave, at times almost unbelievably so. Because of this he seems more like a set of ideals than an actual person. According to this movie, it was the Marquis who gave Washington the idea that the Continental Army should harass and snipe at the British instead of fighting them head on in a major battle, and the young fellow even convinces a group of Iroquois warriors to turn against their English allies! (We also don't learn anything about what happened to the Marquis after his service in the American Revolution.) 

Washington (played by an American actor who recites his dialogue in English) is also incredibly noble--the only time he gets angry is when he's dealing with members of Congress (can't blame him there). Jack Hawkins (who also recites most of his dialogue in his native tongue) plays a very foppish Cornwallis, while Orson Welles does another of his many guest-starring turns as Benjamin Franklin. Eurocult fans will be very happy to know that German cinema legend Wolfgang Preiss gets a very substantial part as Baron Kolb....and he even gets an impressive death scene. Other notable names among the cast are Edmund Purdom, Rosanna Schiaffino, and Vittorio De Sica. 

LAFAYETTE was directed by Jean Dreville, who uses the widescreen format very well. (The battle scenes taking place in America were actually filmed in Yugoslavia.) Despite all the money and effort put into this picture, LAFAYETTE comes off more like a historical pageant instead of a gripping true life story. It's the type of movie that would be shown in schools to kids in the 1970s.....but it still would be nice to see it get a major Region A home video release.