Trois de Saint-Cyr (1939)
Directed by Jean-Paul Paulin

Film Review

Trois de Saint-Cyr belongs to that rarest of categories in French cinema, the war propaganda film.  Made in 1938, at a time when war in Europe was a virtual certainty, it is a paradoxically upbeat film and has none of the fatalistic gloom that pervades most French film dramas of this era.  It doesn't so much glorify war as present it as a noble calling, requiring not only guts and stamina but also intellect and integrity.  Whilst paying tribute to the ethos of France's top military school, it also conveys the esprit de corps, a sense of shared commitment, that is an essential part of military life.  In stark contrast to the pessimism that pours like a sickly stench from the majority of French films of the late 1930s, this one bristles with sanguine cheeriness, anticipating the impending conflict not with despair but with confidence of victory.  Needless to say, when war did break out the film became hugely popular and did a lot to help bolster a nation's confidence in its armed services.

The film was directed by Jean-Paul Paulin, the son of the sculptor Paul Paulin.  Although Paulin made 18 films in total, he is almost completely forgotten today, which is remarkable considering the impact that Trois de Saint-Cyr and the similar film he directed straight after this, Le Chemin de l'honneur (1939), had at the time.  Likewise, almost the entire cast of the film now languish in unmerited obscurity, despite the presence of some very well-known actors of the period.  Top billing went to Roland Toutain, who was famous for playing Rouletabille in Marcel L'Herbier's Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (1930) and Le Parfum de la dame en noir (1931).  If Toutain is remembered at all today, it is for his role as the aviator André Jurieux in Jean Renoir's La Règle du jeu (1939).  If there is one area where the film excels it is in the quality of the acting.  The main characters are all convincingly drawn and you can easily fool yourself into thinking that you are watching a documentary rather than a fictional drama.

The fact that much of the film was shot on the premises of Saint-Cyr adds greatly to its authenticity.  More than anything, the film celebrates the values and traditions of the elite military academy, which is renowned for the quality of its education: "They study to vanquish" being the school's cherished motto.  In its first (and best) half, the film gets across not only the barrack room camaraderie but also the intensity and sophistication of the training.  As well as parade ground exercises there are also lectures in military strategy, showing that combat isn't merely question of brute force, it is also about planning, strategy, understanding the enemy and learning from history.

It is when the location shifts to Syria in its second half that the film loses its focus and impact.  It then becomes a pretty ordinary desert war film, with a pretty ordinary outcome, and Paulin's workmanlike direction does little to fend off the mild ennui that descends on the spectator before the film reaches its entirely predictable denouement.  As a piece of cinema, Trois de Saint-Cyr is not without its flaws, and it is easy to see why it has been overlooked for so long.  However, as a historical document, testifying to the short-lived optimism that was current in France at the start of the Second World War, it is of immense value.  An anomaly in French cinema, it is a film well worth discovering.

Film Synopsis

Despite the objections of his father, a wealthy banker, Jean Le Moyne enters Saint-Cyr, France's most prestigious military academy, to become an officer in the French army.  Here, he is delighted to be reunited with his childhood friend, Paul Parent.  Jean is so in awe of his instructor, Pierre Mercier, that he introduces him to his family, with the result that his sister Françoise is soon in love with Pierre.  When the latter's widowed mother falls on hard times, she must take out a loan so that her son can complete his studies.  After graduating, the three soldiers are posted to Syria to fight against the rebels in the desert.  Only two of them will return to France alive...