Caroline chérie (1951)
Directed by Richard Pottier

Film Review

This tepid adaptation of a popular historical novel by Cécil Saint-Laurent was the film that catapulted Martine Carol to stardom and established her as French cinema's hottest sex symbol in the 1950s.  Depicting the far-fetched adventures of an attractive, strong-willed young woman who uses seduction as a means of achieving her ends in a tough, historical setting, the film is an obvious precursor to the Angélique series of the following decade and was a massive hit when it was first released (attracting an audience of 3.6 million in France).  Whilst Caroline chérie's sexual content is laughably mild by today's standards, the film was quite daring for its day with its few fleeting snatches of female nudity.

Although Caroline chérie is well-regarded by die-hard Martine Carol fans, it is by no means her finest hour.  Elegant and alluring Carol may be, but her performance is excruciatingly wooden and it is virtually impossible to engage with her character.  Does Caroline show any trepidation or concern when she is arrested by the revolutionaries and brought towards the shadow of the gullotine?  No, she looks about as bored and uninterested as we are having to watch her.  The film's few good points - its authentic period sets and atmospheric lighting - are pretty well smothered by its inescapable failings, foremost of which is Richard Pottier's totally uninspired direction.  Judging by the end result, you can be pretty sure that Pottier had his mind on other things instead of concentrating fully on the job in hand - how else can we account for the film's bland composition, lifeless performances and leaden pace?

The film was scripted by Jean Anouilh, one of France's leading post-WWII playwrights, although it has to be said this is not a good example of his work.  With his ridiculously clichéd dialogue and stodgily didactic narration (which appears to be more concerned with its potted idiot's guide to the French Revolution than elucidating the muddled plot), Anouilh does his utmost to bore the pants of his audience whilst patronising anyone who has progressed beyond the Janet and John school of literature.  The enormous popularity of Caroline chérie seems hard to account for today but it inevitably resulted in a sequel, Un caprice de Caroline chérie (1953), with Martine Carol half-heartedly reprising her role as the sensual adventuress.   It is somewhat ironic that a further sequel, Le Fils de Caroline chérie (1955) helped to launch the career of Brigitte Bardot, the blonde bombshell who would completely usurp Carol within a few years as France's premier sex symbol.  Caroline chérie was remade in 1968 by Denys de La Patellière, with France Anglade, another one for the masochists.

Film Synopsis

July, 1789.  On the eve of the French Revolution, Caroline de Bièvre is sixteen years old.  Arriving in Paris to complete her education, she is disappointed to find that her intended, Gaston de Sallanches, has a mistress.  She takes her revenge by marrying the politician Georges Berthier.  Not long afterwards, Berthier has to take flight and it is Gaston who saves Caroline from the revolutionaries.  On her way to England, Caroline falls into the hands of the Chouans, an anti-revolutionary faction with a reputation for ruthlessness...