Futures vedettes (1955)
Directed by Marc Allégret

Film Review

It is somewhat indicative of the uneven quality of his output that immediately before he released his most daring film, L'Amant de lady Chatterley (1955), director Marc Allégret delivered one of his most anaemic, a completely passionless adaptation of a novel by the Austrian writer Vicki Baum.  What makes this all the more surprising is that Allégret had already adapted one of Baum's novels very successfully as Lac aux dames (1934), one of his most inspired and engaging films.  Futures vedettes exemplifies the sorry stultification and complacency that beset French cinema in the mid-1950s.  Indeed, it rather supports François Truffaut's thesis that old-time directors like Marc Allégret had had their day - their predictable and polished style of filmmaking was soon to be washed away in the tsunami that was the French New Wave, and not before time if this film is anything to go by.

Given the pedigree of its cast (not to mention its director) it is remarkable that Futures vedettes manages to be such a plodding, lacklustre affair.  How could a film which throws a young and seriously adorable Brigitte Bardot at the lethally charismatic Jean Marais possibly fail to sparkle?  The dull, plotting-by-numbers script may have had something to do with it, but the main culprit is Allégret himself - he seems to be directing the film in his sleep and his inspiration has clearly deserted him in all but a handful of scenes.  Compare this with the thematically similar Entrée des artistes (1938) and you would hardly think it was the work of the same director.  Allégret at least partly redeems himself by casting Yves Robert and Isabelle Pia in the main supporting roles - their heart-warming scenes inject a little humanity and substance into the proceedings, but alas not enough to prevent this still-born film from being a life-sapping soporific.

Film Synopsis

A gifted tenor, Eric Walter finds he has no shortage of female admirers at the music academy in Vienna where he teaches.  His most ardent fans are Sophie Dimater and Elisa Petersen, two girls barely out of their teens who are both equally smitten by their handsome teacher.  Eric appears to be immune to the bevy of young females who are swooning at his feet. He is too devoted to his beautiful wife Marie to want to start an affair with another woman, but, being a world famous opera singer, she is often away from home and he copes badly with her absence.

It is Sophie, a promising young dancer, who finally wins Eric's favours and becomes his mistress.  This is something that the more fragile Elisa is ill-equipped to deal with.  Now that Eric has made his choice, she has nothing to live for, so she decides to kill herself.  Of course, Eric's affair with Sophie is destined to be a brief liaison, soon forgotten.  When Marie returns to Eric, Sophie resumes her education with a renewed determination to make a success of her career and become a future star...