Roger la Honte (1946)
Directed by André Cayatte

Film Review

Returning to film directing after a ban imposed on him for his association with Continental Films during the war, André Cayatte scored a notable hit with this lavish adaptation of Jules Mary's popular novel Roger la Honte.  It was not long after Mary wrote his novel in 1886 that it was made into a stage play, which was itself adapted for the new medium of cinema in 1914 as a short film.  Subsequently, there have been four full-length screen adaptations of Mary's novel, the best known being Riccardo Freda's 1966 version.  Cayatte's film was one of the most popular French films of 1946 (attracting an audience of 3.6 million) and whilst it may not be the director's most inspired work it represents an important milestone in his career.  It is the first of his films in which Cayatte dealt with injustice in the French judicial system, a subject that would become the central theme of much of his later work, through such films as Justice est faite (1950), Nous sommes tous des assasins (1952) and Avant le deluge (1954).

Cayatte had already successfully adapted one important work of French literature, Au bonheur des dames (1943), and Roger la Honte, along with its sequel La Revanche de Roger la Honte, has all the qualities that would have appealed to a mid-1940s French audience seeking escape from the privations of post-war austerity.  With its attention to period detail, superb cast (consisting mostly of some of France's best character actors of the time) and stylish photography, it showcases mainstream French cinema at its best.  With barely a handful of films to his name, André Cayatte had already proven that he could deliver quality films that would draw massive audiences, although the critics had yet to be convinced of his worth.  One obvious deficiency of Cayatte's early films is a lack of emotional engagement, and this is partly why films such as Roger la Honte are today largely forgotten today, lacking the essential spark that a film drama needs to become a true classic.

Another reason why the film is overlooked is that its lead actor Lucien Coëdel has passed into obscurity, despite being one of the most esteemed character actors of his generation at the time the film was made.  Coëdel was never going to be a major star but his casting for the part of the lead character Roger Laroque is inspired.  Laroque's moral ambiguity is what makes Mary's novel so fascinating and it this quality that Coëdel portrays so effectively in Cayatte's film - he isn't just a victim of a flawed legal system, he is the architect of his own downfall and (in the second film) becomes a pretty ruthless avenging angel, even driving a man to commit suicide.  The success of these two films was bound to give a massive boost to Coëdel's career, but tragically he died the year after they were released.  The 48-year-old actor was on his way back to his home in Paris after shooting exterior scenes for René Chanas's La Carcasse et le Tord-Cou when he fell from a train and was crushed to death on the rails.

One member of the cast who did go on to bigger and better things was María Casares.   Having recently made her screen debut in Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) and Les Enfants du paradis (1945), Casares had already imposed her distinctive persona on French cinema and in Cayatte's Roger la Honte films she is at her best, playing a sympathetic temptress whose ice-cold exterior barely contains the volcanic Spanish passions within.  Casares's presence in these films carries a haunting allure, reminiscent of her subsequent portrayal of the death princess in Cocteau's Orphée (1950).  She seems to embody the essence of all those femmes fatales of 1940s American film noir - mysterious, passionate, sensual and destructive, a demonic force endowed with a mesmerising beauty that no man can resist.

The supporting cast offers an incredible roll-call of character actors that add further lustre to the film.  Jean Debucourt, Paul Bernard, Renée Devillers, Rellys, Jean Tissier, Louis Salou...  all names that will be familiar to any devotee of French films of this era.  André Gabriello brings a welcome comedic touch, playing a character that is not too far removed from his humorous portrayal of Lucas in a series of Maigret films that had been immensely popular during the war.   In her sole film appearance, child actor Josée Conrad has a winning presence and proves to be a scene stealer as the main character's elfin daughter, Suzanne.

As a jobbing critic, François Truffaut once described André Cayatte as a director who lacked taste, technical skill and sensitivity.  Roger la Honte is a film that proves the contrary.  Admirably supported by his accomplished cinematographer Armand Thirard, Cayatte crafts an opulent period piece that appeals to the eye, the heart and the intellect.  It may not have the focus and intensity of Cayatte's subsequent great films, but it is a respectable adaptation of an involving work of French literature.  Among its highlights is a masterfully executed courtroom scene that provides the bedrock for the director's subsequent filmmaking career.

Film Synopsis

In 1885, the industrialist Roger Laroque, the owner of a factory in Ville d'Avray, has put all his hopes in his latest invention, the first steam-powered motorcar.  But his ambitions are threatened by his sponsor, Gerbier, who demands that he immediately repay a loan of 80 thousand francs.  That same evening, Gerbier is murdered and robbed by a mysterious person named Luversan.  From her window, Henriette, Laroque's wife, in the presence of her little daughter Suzanne, mistakenly thinks she sees her husband enter Gerbier's house, which is near to their own.  But at the time of the crime, Roger is breaking off his affair with his mistress Julia, the wife of his best friend, the lawyer Lucien de Noirville.  When he is arrested for Gerbier's murder, Laroque refuses to defend himself through fear that he may destroy Julia's reputation...