L'Automne du coeur (1911)
Directed by Léonce Perret

Film Review

The plot is a familiar one - you can probably cite half a dozen melodramas of the 1930s and 40s offering a similar lachrymose tale of a virtuoso musician succumbing to an ill-fated infatuation with his student - but Léonce Perret's take on it has a warmth and simplicity that makes it appear fresh and genuine.  L'Automne du coeur is an engaging piece but is suffers from one obvious flaw, which was the decision by Perret to cast himself in the lead role.  Perret's skill as a director was never matched by his acting ability and whilst he has a likeable screen presence his tendency for over-expressive histrionics does tend to undermine the subtlety of his art as a director.

Yvette Andréyor is far more convincing as the object of Perret's infatuation, and you can see why Louis Feuillade gave her prominent roles in his thriller serials Fantômas (1913) and Judex (1916).  Near the start of the film, there is a flawless use of superimposition, with Andréyor appearing out of nowhere and sitting beside Perret before fading away again.  The technique would be 'borrowed' (but never improved upon) by several avant-garde filmmakers of a later decade, notably the French impressionists of the 1920s - Abel Gance, Germaine Dulac, etc.  This just serves to remind us how far ahead of his time Léonce Perret was - and how unfairly he is now overlooked.

Film Synopsis

Eugène Vanesco, a great violinist, has fallen in love with one of his students, the beautiful Yvette.  Despite the immense difference in their ages, Vanesco dreams incessantly about Yvette and he is devastated when the young woman announces she is to be married to another man.  Returning to his lonely appartment after the wedding, Vanesco contemplates suicide but he has a change of heart and takes solace in his music...