Entente cordiale (1939)
Directed by Marcel L'Herbier

Film Review

With the Second World War looking like a near-certainty towards the end of 1938, attempts to shore up relations between France and its closest European ally Britain were well under way.  Marcel L'Herbier had already directed one film - La Route impériale (1935) - that had celebrated British imperialism, so he was suitably placed to direct another pro-British film to remind French audiences of the accord that had served both Britain and France well in a previous crisis, the First World War.  Adapted from a novel by André Maurois entiitled Edouard VII et son temps, Entente cordiale is a pure propaganda piece which L'Herbier tackles with his customary professionalism but also a distinct lack of inspiration.  Despite some excellent production values and an impressive cast, it is a dull, lumbering affair that outstays its welcome by at least an hour and rates as L'Herbier's least engaging film.  Ironically, the film could not be screened in Britain before WWII owing to the fact that this was too soon after the death of Edward VII, but it was a notable hit in France (it had its premiere in April 1939) and achieved its objective, which was to galvanise the morale of the French nation at a crucial moment in its history.

Victor Francen was a perfect casting choice for Edward VII, not just because of his striking physical resemblance to the monarch but because of his naturally aristocratic bearing and his ability to combine an air of authority with a certain roguish joie de vivre.  His frequent screen partner Gaby Morlay is a more eccentric choice for the part of Queen Victoria - under heavy make-up the actress is totally unrecognisable as the aging empress, and only in one short flashback sequence do we see Morlay as we recognise her, stunning as the young Victoria.  Pierre Richard-Willm is a more obvious choice for the part of the military negotiator who paves the way for the famous Entente Cordiale, but Bernard Lancret and Janine Darcey are both wasted in a romantic subplot that goes nowhere other than to serve as a lame metaphor for troubled Anglo-French relations.  André Lefaur, Junie Astor and Louis Seigner add further lustre to the impeccable cast, but, as with the rest of the cast, L'Herbier's uninspired direction and a mediocre script prevent the performances from engaging either our interest or our sympathies.  The only part of Entente cordiale that hits home is the final shot showing the British and French flags flying alongside one another - it's the one powerful moment, made more poignant by remembrance of the shared struggle against Fascism that followed, that brings a lump to the throat.  The rest of the film is completely forgettable.

Film Synopsis

In 1898, the aging Queen Victoria presides over a flourishing empire whilst her eldest son, Edward Prince of Wales, amuses himself in the fleshpots of Paris.  Friendly relations between France and Great Britain are threatened when the two countries become entangled in territorial disputes in East Africa.  Captain Charles Roussel negotiates a peaceful resolution to the crisis, but this is seen by the French to be a humiliating climb down.  Two years after Victoria's death in 1901, the recently crowned King Edward VII undertakes an official visit to France to improve relations between the two countries.  In 1904, an agreement is signed between Britain and France, the Entente Cordiale, which will further strengthen ties between them and serve both their interests as the continent of Europe drifts ever nearer to all out war...