Dupont-Lajoie (1975)
Directed by Yves Boisset

Film Review

In one of the earliest of his political thrillers, director Yves Boisset broached the controversial subject of racism - not just its banality in society in general but also its malign influence on police procedure.  At the time, this was a daring thing to do and Boisset had great difficulty finding a location where the local authorities would allow him to make the film.  The social relevance of the film struck a chord with the public and the film was quite successful.  This was an indication of the growing appetite for thrillers in France with a socio-political angle - which was satisfied by the scores of “néo-polar” films which were made from the mid to late 1970s (many directed by Boisset himself).

Whilst Dupont Lajoie is by no means a faultless piece of cinema, its central political messages - whilst heavily overworked - are driven home with force and conviction.  The film's first thirty minutes or so, where Lajoie and his buddies casually spout mindless racist remarks whenever the mood takes them, shows a portrait of contemporary society that is mildly sickening but which, several decades on, still appears all-too-familiar.  The banality of this part of the film, which looks rather like a cinéma vérité version of Les Bronzés, is then abruptly usurped by something much darker and much more shocking.  The rape of Isabelle Huppert by Jean Carmet comes so unexpectedly and so suddenly that it numbs the spectator and to some extent weakens the second half of the film.  By contrast, the subsequent lynching of a young Arab man - although considerably more brutal - has a lesser impact.  Could this be intentional on Boisset's part?  Did he want us to feel more offended by the rape of a young Caucasian French woman than the horrific slaughter of a nameless coloured man?  Are we all rampant xenophobes at heart?

The film's serious political commentary is made in its final third segment.  Jean Bouise is excellent in the role of the investigating police inspector and will re-appear in similar establishment roles in many other films of the 1970s and 1980s.  Here, he plays the film's good guy - a man who has a simple desire to see justice done but who ultimately fails because he is part of a system that places the protection of the state above that of the individual.  As Goethe put it, "It is better to commit an injustice than to create disorder".  There are some powerful statements in this part of the film, but their impact is somewhat diluted by what follows - a closing sequence in which justice is finally delivered in true série noir fashion.  Boisset was clearly unable to resist going for the “obvious” thriller ending.

The crime-thriller is certainly the genre in which Yves Boisset works best.  His approach, probably influenced by American action thrillers, shows greater naturalism, and certainly more explicit violence, than most French thrillers of the time.  Whilst not Boisset's best work in this genre, Dupont Lajoie is a respectable piece of cinema, with some notable acting performances - including a surprisingly strong contribution from Jean Carmet.   One of the film's highlights is an unexpected spoof of the popular French television programme “Intervilles” (“It's A Knockout” for UK viewers), in which Jean-Pierre Marielle gives a hilarious caricature of a self-obsessed TV presenter.   This well-judged skit is narrowly trumped by the presence of Isabelle Huppert.  Although she appears in the film in a comparatively minor role, Huppert makes a significant impact and it's no surprise that she would land some very substantial film roles shortly after this film.

Film Synopsis

Georges Lajoie, the respectable manager of a Parisian bistro, can hardly wait to begin his holidays on the Riviera, in the company of his wife Ginette and their grown-up son Léon.  As usual, they meet up with their old friends, the Colins and the Schumachers, and are soon making the most of the fine weather and picturesque coastal setting.  The only thing that can mar this perfect holiday is the relentless din from a nearby building site caused by immigrant workers.  This unpleasant racket merely arouses Georges's racist tendencies.  To his way of thinking, immigrants are at the root of all problems in France today.

Whilst his fellow campers are enjoying themselves by taking part in silly competitions for a well-known TV game show, Georges leaves the camp and heads for the beach.  Here, he finds the Colins' attractive teenage daughter Brigitte happily sunbathing by herself.  His judgement impaired by alcohol, the middle-aged man foists his unwelcome attentions on the girl and, without meaning to, he kills her as she struggles to free herself.  Once the shock of what he has done has passed, Georges quickly comes to his senses and dumps the body on the building site.  It is a stroke of genius.  As he begins his investigation into the girl's murder, Inspector Boular has two ready-made suspects - in a pair of Algerian workers.

Even though the two Algerians appear to have cast-iron alibis, Colin and his entourage remain convinced of their guilt, thanks in part to Georges's attempts to stir up anti-immigrant feeling.  Giving up on the police, Colin and Georges lead a frenzied attack on the immigrants' shantytown, resulting in the death of one of the detested foreigners.  Boulard soon guesses the truth but he is sensible enough to keep his suspicions to himself.  It is far safer to let the world go on believing the immigrant's death was an accident than risk the backlash from a racially motivated killing...