“Only for our worries do we need rest...” “Only for the sake of care we need rest,
”
Only from the enemy will peace come.
Only a pile of hay is the best dinner.
Only the sleeper is the faithful sentry.
This is what the great French Renaissance poet François Villon thought. He happened to be both a student of the Sorbonne, and a master of fine arts under two Duke Charles of Orleans, and a member of a gang of thieves. Bright poetry, reflecting the facts of the biography, and the lack of reliable information about the circumstances of Villon’s life.
The film by Sergio Nicolaescu is more a reflection on the world surrounding the poet than a verified historical biography. The director balances on the verge of art house and adventure cinema (movies with Jean Marais). In a number of scenes, the era is shown quite conventionally - in the style of such paintings as Pasolini's Decameron, The Legend of Thiel, Bergman's Seventh Seal. The film was shot with French actors and according to the French script, so in some places there is a feeling that the characters came from the Paris streets of the 1980s. Scenes from the life of Villon create a voluminous and rather gloomy image of his era. When watching it, it is hard to believe that the film was directed by Sergio Nicolaescu - the author of the militants about Commissioner Miklovan. One of his most powerful and underrated directorial work.
Note. Sergio Nicolaescu himself did not appear in the film, the film has not yet been translated into Russian and released on DVD.