A sad but generally lighthearted family drama.You get to feel sympathy for the redheaded child,nicknamed as Poil de carotte.But above all I saw to the end this cheap adaptation to TV of a French classic novel because of the charming beauty of Fanny Cottencon as Mme Lepic,the mother of poil de carotte.The sensuality emanating from her was captivating and irresistible.You even get to see a nude scene of her.Who wouldn't like to have such a gorgeous and sexy mum?
2 Reviews
Carotty.
dbdumonteil15 May 2016
This MTV work is actually the fourth version of Jules Renard's classic story .By and large ,both Duvivier's versions -the silent one and the talkie :1925 and 1932)are hailed as the best ever made whereas Henri Graziani's effort(1973) is forgotten,in spite of Philippe Noiret's excellent portrayal of Monsieur Lepic .
Richard Bohringer did not follow Duvivier's steps and tried to update the novel ,the structure of which making it a story hard to transfer to the screen:no linear story,but a succession of small vignettes .
The two grown up principals are cast against type: Bohringer,often the tough guy of the French cinema,keeps a low profile during the whole movie ("it's not that I don't love her anymore;it's her that does not let me love her ;formerly we used to be happy,she was not like she is today).Obviously he introduces sexual frustration ("she did not want a third child,and I should have been more careful"),absent in the other versions .Casting sexy Fanny Cottençon as the stern Madame Lepic was challenging,and the actress rises to the occasion:actually,I have never seen her better than here.Even a full frontal nudity makes sense in that context.
A third child,and a red-haired brat to boot!It's more than she can endure and she makes him her favorite punching-bag ,pampering his elders (Grand Frere Félix and Grande Soeur Ernestine (=Nicole));the photo album scenes is revealing;the chicken and the "gravy" ("you made it"she says frostily) sequence is even more terrifying ,almost worthy of a horror movie .
Bohringer took lots of liberties with the original novel:the action takes place in 1956 -the sister is 10 and she was born in 1946-,and none of the small scenes of the story is kept:keeping all the proper nouns but one ,Bohringer remained true to the writer's spirit though,finding smart equivalents of his vignettes : the cherries,grandpa's book ,Andersen' "the ugly duckling", Carrot Top ruefully watching one of his school mates run to her affectionate mom;even the poor kid's suicide attempt is featured : he goes on a hunger strike and tries to drown himself.
Thus revivified, this book has a contemporary feel :the first of children's right is to be loved and we feel it all along the film in Carotty's eyes.
Richard Bohringer did not follow Duvivier's steps and tried to update the novel ,the structure of which making it a story hard to transfer to the screen:no linear story,but a succession of small vignettes .
The two grown up principals are cast against type: Bohringer,often the tough guy of the French cinema,keeps a low profile during the whole movie ("it's not that I don't love her anymore;it's her that does not let me love her ;formerly we used to be happy,she was not like she is today).Obviously he introduces sexual frustration ("she did not want a third child,and I should have been more careful"),absent in the other versions .Casting sexy Fanny Cottençon as the stern Madame Lepic was challenging,and the actress rises to the occasion:actually,I have never seen her better than here.Even a full frontal nudity makes sense in that context.
A third child,and a red-haired brat to boot!It's more than she can endure and she makes him her favorite punching-bag ,pampering his elders (Grand Frere Félix and Grande Soeur Ernestine (=Nicole));the photo album scenes is revealing;the chicken and the "gravy" ("you made it"she says frostily) sequence is even more terrifying ,almost worthy of a horror movie .
Bohringer took lots of liberties with the original novel:the action takes place in 1956 -the sister is 10 and she was born in 1946-,and none of the small scenes of the story is kept:keeping all the proper nouns but one ,Bohringer remained true to the writer's spirit though,finding smart equivalents of his vignettes : the cherries,grandpa's book ,Andersen' "the ugly duckling", Carrot Top ruefully watching one of his school mates run to her affectionate mom;even the poor kid's suicide attempt is featured : he goes on a hunger strike and tries to drown himself.
Thus revivified, this book has a contemporary feel :the first of children's right is to be loved and we feel it all along the film in Carotty's eyes.
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