Divine intervention?
26 November 2010
In French,like in English ,"divine" has two meanings : 1)heavenly and 2) excellent.

One expects the second meaning to depict Duvivier's work ;but it does not.It's a follow up to "La Merveilleuse Histoire De Thérèse Martin" which makes sense .Both works are Christian movies,the first one,a hagiography ,the second one ,a movie of adventures which verges on supernatural,a providential supernatural in which God himself intervenes and "shows the way" across the "way of gold" .And however ,Duvivier had already lost his faith when he directed these pious movies ;and however when he entered the talkies world ,two years later ,there was no divine inspiration anymore (with the exception of "La Charrette Fantome" ;"Golgotha" was more a depiction of human bestiality -the people eagerly watching the flagellation -).

First scenes of Duvivier's depiction of the gal of human unkindness appear with the character of the wealthy man who sends his crew sailing on an old tub ;the eager faces of the men (in close shot) realizing there's money to be made with the alcohol they transport.

Like this? try these....

"Dieu A Besoin Des Hommes " Jean Delannoy " Finis Terrae" Jean Epstein "L'Homme Du Large " Marcel L'Herbier
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