"La Mer A Boire " is a desperate depressing movie;an user did not like the last minutes :but in that context it made sense .It compares favorably with one of Claude Chabrol's most impressive conclusion:that of 'Que La Bete Meure" (1969);the victim may be innocent ,but he is part of the selfish wealthy people: " a handy craftsman but a poor chap!" .This sentence offends the hero but also the audience who saw that man set fire to himself in an unexpected (and all the more impressive) scene.
Much to the credit of the movie is the destruction of a cliché:the greedy boss .Daniel Auteuil (in a thankless part) is a generous man ,who suffers as much as his workers on his shipyard ,who shares with them his small victories and his big defeats :no demagogy ,no paternalism,no condescension;He goes for broke ,trying to get capital from the Russians and even to sell his desirable mansion.He has to fight against the ruthless bankers and a rival who wants to take over his company ;in this world ,the human factor has no meaning .His best friend (Marc Chapiteau)was not able to carry on the fight .
"La Mer A Boire" was not a commercial success:almost a documentary in its first part,it makes no concessions (the love story between the two young workers is abandoned in midstream),but it is a must for lovers of the French cinema with strong hearts
NB:Maud Wyler,who is also a stage actress,is not a relative of the great American director.
Much to the credit of the movie is the destruction of a cliché:the greedy boss .Daniel Auteuil (in a thankless part) is a generous man ,who suffers as much as his workers on his shipyard ,who shares with them his small victories and his big defeats :no demagogy ,no paternalism,no condescension;He goes for broke ,trying to get capital from the Russians and even to sell his desirable mansion.He has to fight against the ruthless bankers and a rival who wants to take over his company ;in this world ,the human factor has no meaning .His best friend (Marc Chapiteau)was not able to carry on the fight .
"La Mer A Boire" was not a commercial success:almost a documentary in its first part,it makes no concessions (the love story between the two young workers is abandoned in midstream),but it is a must for lovers of the French cinema with strong hearts
NB:Maud Wyler,who is also a stage actress,is not a relative of the great American director.