Collectors are strange people. Maybe even a bit crazy. Take René Charles and Guy Coursaud, the two heroes of this documentary. They have spent an incredible lot of time and money acquiring what? Reels of discarded old film copies, rusty film projectors and old-fashioned vehicles used in a distant past by fairground entertainers! Crazy? Maybe so but supposing they had not existed, very little of the material they have patiently collected would have survived. Yes, both are or were (since René Charles died before this report was made) eccentric, but the world needs eccentrics, because the people of that kind enrich it by not simply following the mainstream flow but by exploring its margins and saving what we others overlook. That is what these two men achieved and the result of their efforts, then stored in a large warehouse in Angoulême, can be admired in Philippe Vimeret's film.
Biographic details are provided by Pierrette Charles (Renés widow), whose tongue is sometimes sharp (a sure antidote against boredom) et technical explanations are provided by specialists, without them being too specific (another antidote against tediousness). The musical illustration is pleasant and there is a funny animated sequence at the end.
On the whole "Fantômes du cinéma forain" is a good documentary, informative, surprising and entertaining. Recommended, especially to film lovers.
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