Fanfan La Tulipe

Fanfan La Tulipe
by Christian-Jacque

Fanfan La Tulipe

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DVD details

Actor: Gerard Philipe, Gina Lollobrigida
Director: Christian-Jacque
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: Black & White, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Criterion Collection

DVD Reviews of Fanfan La Tulipe

DVD Review: Criterion Collection - Indispensable Authority on Film
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a prime example of the influence Criterion asserts on film fans. Until three weeks ago I had never heard of "Fanfan la Tulipe" nor it's primary stars. I read the brief blurb at the Criterion site before nearly impulsively purchasing the dvd. Not surprisingly, I wasn't disappointed with either the dvd presentation or the quality of the film itself.

As I've come to expect from Criterion - the film print looks fantastic and the essay booklet is interesting and informative. The Criterion essays are always important because they not only provide a bit of background information behind the film, but also point out the lasting influence the work acheived. For instance, this essay includes an amusing quote from critic Georges Sadoul as well as a few ideas on why this film isn't as well known today despite its popularity upon release.

There are numerious distillations of the hilariously clever plot of this film, so I won't go into that. Suffice it to say that if you're a fan of period films, particularly Tyrone Power or Errol Flynn swashbucklers, you're going to have a great time with this one.

This is one Criterion film in which there simply isn't much bonus material. The brief program about lead actor Gerard Philipe is the only one of note here. The colorized clip isn't worth much, but I'm always happy for anything extra on a dvd.

Side notes: Film snobs may whine that "popcorn" releases such as this aren't worthy of the iconic Criterion logo, but its just this sort of celluloid elitism that Criterion is trying to dispel. No longer will the casual film buff search the world over and pay too much for a copy of films like "Before the Rain" or "Mon Oncle Antoine".

The influence, quality, and importance of a film is really all quite subjective anyway. I count "This Sporting Life" among the greatest character studies ever made, while you may find it a boring two hour exercise in watching a dumb brute driving the widow he lives with insane.

DVD Review: Reminds of the Errol Flynn films
Summary: 4 Stars

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Fanfan la Tulipe, is a film about Fanfan a man who joins the French army in a spur-of-the-moment decision to avoid being in a shotgun wedding after a liason with a local man's daughter. He then rescues a woman from some bandits and falls in love with her.

This film is consideres a swashbuckling film which is how it reminds me of three Errol Flynn films. "Captain Blood" "The Sea Hawk" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" I liked this film too and liked the swordfights.

The film has some nice supplements too. There is a segment from the colorized version of the film, produced by the French government, a biographical sengment about lead actor G?rard Philipe, the theatrical trailer and an optional English language dub.

This is a very nice film and I highly recommend it.

DVD Review: A fun romp full of action and adventure!
Summary: 5 Stars

Adapted from a beloved French story dating back to an 1819 song, Fanfan la Tulipe is a French swashbuckling bodice-ripper, an action-adventure film as if written by Oscar Wilde - in other words, all kinds of amusing double entrendes and bawdy language.

Fanfan la Tulipe is a fun, action-packed tale with plenty of exciting duels, beautiful women, daring escapes and rescues, and pompous bad guys - everything you'd come to expect from a rip-roaring adventure the likes of which they just don't make anymore. Largely unknown in North America, this snazzy DVD edition from the folks at the Criterion Collection will hopefully introduce this charming, irrepressible film to a brand new audience.

"Gerard Philipe: Star, Idol, Legend" takes a look at the actor's career with new interviews from Philipe's daughter Anne-Marie and his biographer, Gerard Bonal. Philipe made Fanfan la Tulipe at the height of his career. Along with vintage family photographs, Anne-Marie and Bonal document the man's early life and how he got into acting. This is an excellent look at the actor.

"Clip from Colorized Fanfan la Tulipe" features an excerpt from the 1997 colorized version of the film which gives it a vibrant look but still doesn't surpass the black and white original.

Finally, there is a trailer.

DVD Review: Fanfan la Tulipe
Summary: 1 Stars

Fanfan la Tulipe may be a favorite with the French but frankly I find it tolerable only if one views it as a spoof of swashbucklers. This film is not worthy of inclusion in the Criterion Collection, and it does nothing to justify Gerard Philipe's reputation as an actor.

DVD Review: A marvellous romp
Summary: 5 Stars

Indeed, a welcome release. This 1951 French comedy by Christian-Jaque has been treasured by generations of moviegoers, and with good reason. It is a perfectly realized swashbuckler filled with fine humor and Gallic dalliance, and interpreted by a wonderful cast headed by the greatest French actor of his generation, Gerard Philipe. Shot on the Riviera in locations that do evoke 18th-century France, FANFAN LA TULIPE is a film to be savoured on a minute-to-minute basis, since its delightful attractions never seem to end.

Particular mention must be made to the fact that Gina Lollobrigida had the first great opportunity of her career in this film. It amazes one to think that this exquisite actress had already been featured in 17 films since 1946, and practically had to leave Italy in order to become a star. This, notwithstanding the obvious potential she had shown in PAGLIACCI (1948), in which she is a a knockout as Leoncavallo's heroine, Nedda.

All in all, a film to be enjoyed many times, and for many reasons.

Description of Fanfan La Tulipe

Legendary French star Gerard Philipe swashbuckled his way into film history as the peasant soldier Fanfan in Christian-Jaque's devil-may-care romantic action-comedy. In eighteenth-century France, Fanfan joins King Louis XV's army to avoid a forced marriage to a local lass. And thus begins an adventure that sees Fanfan getting himself out of close scrapes and into tight squeezes with Gina Lollobrigida's impostor fortune teller, Adeline, on his way to fighting in the Seven Years' War. Filled to the brim with dazzling stunts and randy innuendo, Fanfan la Tulipe, which won the best director prize at Cannes and was a smash hit upon its initial release, remains one of France's all-time most beloved films.

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:

New, restored digital transfer
New video program about actor Gerard Philipe
A clip from the colorized version of the film
Theatrical trailer
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by Kenneth Turan and an excerpt from Georges Sadoul's monograph on Philipe

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