“It was like sparkling wine, it had inimitable humor, it embodied the French spirit.” – Jean-Claude Briali My review, first of all, may interest fans of old French cinema and / or art house classics, while we are talking about a documentary about one of the brightest representatives of both - Jean-Claude Briali, a legend from legends, and my main favorite among older actors. Suddenly someone loves this actor, this era as much as I do, but strangely missed this picture, a recent film, last year, just look at the lineup, it’s a come to life story!
For the filming of this film, the friends of Jean-Claude Briali gathered at his house, which is not far from Paris, and remember different stories from film sets and theater stages, as well as events from everyday life, holidays that took place in this very house. The film is quite long, but it looks in one breath. It seems to me that the reason for this is the incredibly emotional atmosphere of the film, such that the viewer feels as if he is personally told that he is sitting opposite Marina Vlady, Pierre Ardity and Robert Ossein, listening to them and realizing that the legends of French cinema let him into their inner world, sharing something personal. Thanks to the fact that the film gathered all the color of the cinema of France, I think many will be able to learn something new. Let's say I remembered that Brialee had a castle, wondering if he was so rich. And only from the film I learned that he fell so in love with this castle that ... he himself was loaned by friends, eminent directors! I was aware that he was a close friend of Romy Schneider, and that after the tragic death of her son, she lived with him for a while, but I didn’t know that he said that she could be the only one. I didn’t know that the fight in the movie Pretty Serge was real, that Brialee was really beaten there and the injuries were very serious.
Of particular value is the impressive collection of interviews, photographs, behind-the-scenes filming, theatrical productions, old award ceremonies, which are difficult to find somewhere. Successfully interweaving the memories of friends and archival materials, the filmmakers managed to avoid the dryness of documentaryism, make their tape lively and emotional, while completely immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of those years. But I’m biased: There’s nobody in the older generation that I love as much as Brialee. Even young Delon, whose name has become a household name when it is mentioned about perfect beauty, loses against the background of Jean-Claude with his warm aura, incredible inner light and boundless charm. The material for the film is selected in such a way that it really feels like Jean-Claude could not be loved, that’s just impossible. Yes, this is said about many who have left us, but often the words of friends remain just words, and here you look and believe, and other people’s barely restrained tears touch to the depths of their souls.
To clearly imagine the atmosphere of the film, in my opinion, the best fit is the words of Jean-Claude himself: Friendship is the best thing in life. Love is beautiful, but it is ephemeral. And friendship lives forever. Yes, Brialy is a whole era, the era of the New Wave, the golden age of French art house. As he said about himself, he was incredibly lucky in life – he managed to work with the best partners on the set and the best directors, and in the film you will see them all. Therefore, the tape will be interesting to those who are interested in the history of cinema, in this aspect it is really valuable. But, in my opinion, the main thing about it is that this film is personal. When you watch it, you will involuntarily think: someone is lucky to be a friend of this incredibly sunny man. For us, the audience, with his death ended a whole chapter of cinema, for them – left a loved one. And whose tragedy is deeper is hard to say. Even if it’s not your age, you won’t regret it. It looks like a pearl to me.