Monsieur Vincent (1947)
Directed by Maurice Cloche

Film Review

The life of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century priest who devoted his life to the service of the poor and was later made a saint by the Catholic Church, would appear to be an unlikely subject for a mainstream cinema hit.  Nevertheless, this is how Maurice Cloche's austere biopic was received when it came out in France in 1947, in the midst of a protracted and painful post-war recession.  Despite its sombre tone and religious context, Monsieur Vincent drew an audience of 7.1 million, making it the second most popular French film of the year, after Alexander Esway's patriotic wartime epic Le Bataillon du ciel.  Not only was the film a box office triumph at home, it soon drew international acclaim, and was particularly well-received in America.

In 1949, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences showed its approval of Monsieur Vincent by giving it an honorary award which recognised it as the best foreign language film to be released in the United States in 1948 - it was the first French film ever to win an Oscar.   The film also received the Grand Prix du Cinéma Français in 1947, the forerunner of the Best Film César.  Given how much of a splash it made when it was released, it seems strange that Monsieur Vincent is currently far less well-known than other prominent French films of this era.  And yet there is hardly a French film made in the 1940s that is more relevant for our own time, its message being one that is as applicable today as it was in those dark years of post-war gloom.

As a biopic, Monsieur Vincent comes highly recommended, impressing both with its attention to period detail (most evident in the set and costume design) and the honest depiction of its subject as an ordinary, down-to-Earth mortal rather than a halo-wearing mystic.  In the greatest role of his career, Pierre Fresnay brings not only a captivating warmth and humanity to his portrayal of Vincent de Paul, but also a touching fragility.  Through Fresnay, we can easily believe that such a person existed and see how it was he could exercise such influence over those who came his way (including the 'Ladies of Charity', who gave money to found a hospital for the poor folk of Paris).  You don't have to be religiously minded to be enchanted and inspired by this film.  All that it demands is a vestige of compassion for others.

The casting of Pierre Fresnay for the title role was highly controversial at the time.  During the Occupation, he was one of the most prominent stars working for the Nazi-run company Continental-Films, in such films as H.G. Clouzot's L'Assassin habite au 21 (1942) and Le Corbeau (1943).  This led him to be branded a collaborator after the Liberation and he spent several weeks in prison until the charges were dropped.  Monsieur Vincent allowed Fresnay to regain his reputation, with a performance that is by far his finest, a worthy recipient of the Coupe Volpi for the Best Actor at the 1947 Venice Film Festival.  (The film was also nominated for the Golden Lion award.)  Whilst Fresnay deserves the recognition he received for his richly authentic portrayal of St Vincent, we should not overlook the contribution from the screenwriters Jean Bernard-Luc and Jean Anouilh, the latter of whom is world-renowned as one of France's greatest playwrights.

Surprisingly, Monsieur Vincent was directed not by a towering giant of the stature of Marcel Carné or Jean Renoir, but by the comparatively unknown Maurice Cloche.  This was not the only film about Christian charity that Cloche directed - it was followed by two similar, albeit far less well-known, works: Docteur Laennec (1949) and Moineaux de Paris (1952).  Most of Cloche's work, which ranges from popular comedies and B-movie thrillers to social dramas, is all but forgotten today, and it is almost entirely through Monsieur Vincent, his one genuinely great film, that he has managed to evade falling into the hungry pit of obscurity. 

There is a classical beauty to Monsieur Vincent which sets it apart from most French films of its era, a time when many filmmakers in France were becoming a little too preoccupied with realism and modern influences from other countries (Italian neo-realism, American film noir).  If the film has a fault it is that the shots are arranged a little too self-consciously, almost as tableaux imitating 17th century paintings.  The deliberate mise-en-scène brings a stiff theatricality to some of the studio scenes, which jars with the fluid realism achieved in the location sequences.  Claude Renoir's atmospheric black and white photography compensates for this and effectively reflects the changing moods of Vincent, allowing us to feel more intensely his moments of triumph, frustration and self-doubt as he ploughs his weary furrow, battlingly endlessly against the indifference of others.

Pierre Fresnay's Vincent de Paul is a complex and troubled character - a man of rare compassion, but also one who is tormented by a sense of inferiority and a fear that he may fail in his vocation.  Of course, we know that St Vincent did succeed - he brought on a social revolution that instituted charity as one of the cornerstones of a civilised society, but in his lifetime he could have had no idea what impact his work would have.  It is not triumph or even contentment that we see on Vincent's tired face as his life draws to an end in those final exquisitely poignant moments of the film, but a humble acceptance that he has not done enough - his work must be continued by others.

And this is where the power of the film shows itself, not in its haphazard account of a man's life, but in the way it reaches out to us and gently encourages us to follow Vincent de Paul's example.  Charity, it teaches us, is unlike any other human transaction; it is a gesture of love that does not seek or expect anything in return.  Why should the poor and neglected be required to show gratitude for the charity they receive?  They are the victims of an inherently unjust and imperfect society, their misery the bitter fruit of human greed and folly.  As Vincent tells his followers in those eloquently moving final lines of the film, "The harder they are to serve, the more you must try to love them."  Seventy years on, the film still has an extraordinary resonance, and its appeal for the whole of society to unite in the relief of human misery is just as timely.  St Vincent de Paul's message, so succinctly wrapped up in this film, is one that touches us all, a cry of compassion that no civilised society can ignore.

Film Synopsis

In the early 1600s, during the reign of King Louis XIII, Vincent de Paul gives up his privileged position as a private tutor to the aristocratic Gondy family, so that he can devote himself to the needs of the poor and infirm.  As a humble priest, he takes up his new parish in a region of France that has been badly hit by the plague and immediately arranges support for those who need it most.  In this he is helped by Louise de Marillac, a kind-hearted widow who is so inspired by his selfless devotion to the poor that she feels impelled to follow his example.

Vincent de Paul's fame spreads far and wide.  Through his efforts, he persuades those who have influence and wealth to lend their support to schemes to improve the lot of the truly needy.  This includes missionary work, the building of hospitals and relief for war casualties.  Vincent knows what it is to suffer, having spent his early years in captivity and slavery.  In Paris, he champions the plight of galley slaves and creates a stir when he takes the place of one of these unfortunates.  The saintly Vincent is widely revered for his charitable acts, but rather than accept honours he prefers to remain anonymous, living among the poor whom he has come to love.