Beau Travail Directed by Claire Denis Viewed at the San Francisco International Film Festival Legionnaires attention! I was thinking of Gary Cooper and his "Beau Geste" but got the pugnosed Dennis Lavant (star of several Leo Carax films like "Bad Blood" among others)! His odd look is well-suited in this role as a rough and strict sergeant in the Foreign Legion. Director Claire Denis has made a very beautiful and somewhat poetic meditation on the rigorous and ritual of the legionnaires. The story was derived from Herman Melvilles Billy Budd. The cinematography is mostly breathtaking! The mountainous and rocky eastern coast of Africa is stark, richly textured and hauntingly peaceful. There are many occasions in the film where we see the synchronized movements of the sweaty soldiers, which is very strong visually. There is a palpable undercurrent of tension where I waited for the mayhem to disrupt the slow and steady pace of the film
but the minimal violence was mostly psychological and developed as the relationships of the men became stronger
simmering beneath the surface! Reviewed by Eric Michel, FilmCities | Country: France Year: 1999 Run Time: 90 minutes Cast: Denis Lavant, Michel Subor, Grégoire Colin Producer: Jerome Minet Editor: Nelly Quetier Cinematographer: Agnes Godard Screenwriter: Jean-Pol Fargeau, Claire Denis | |