''Carnival in Flanders'' is a 1935 French historical romantic comedy film directed by Jacques Feyder. It is also widely known under its original title in French, ''La Kermesse héroïque''. A German-language version of the film was made simultaneously and was released under the title ''Die klugen Frauen'', featuring Ernst Schiffner in one of his early film roles.

Plot

In 1616, when Flanders is part of the Hispanic Monarchy, the town of Boom, in the midst of preparations for its carnival, learns that a Spanish duke with his army is on the way to spend the night there. Fearing that this will inevitably result in rape and pillage, the mayor — supported by his town council — has the idea of pretending to be newly dead, in order to avoid receiving the soldiers. But his redoubtable wife Cornelia despises this stratagem and organises the other women to prepare hospitality and to adapt their carnival entertainments for the Spaniards (who insist on entering the town anyway). Such is the warmth of the women's welcome that not only do the Spaniards refrain from misbehaviour, but on their departure the Duke announces a year's remission of taxes for the town. Cornelia allows her husband to take the credit for their good fortune, but she has in the meantime thwarted his plans for their daughter to marry the town butcher instead of the young painter Brueghel whom she loves.

Cast

Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay (; born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche; 19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse,''Design'', Volume 9 1965 p. 24 and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure ...

as Cornelia de Witte, Madame la Bourgmestre/Madame Burgomaster * André Alerme as Korbus de Witte, le bourgmestre/The Burgomaster (as Alerme) * Jean Murat as Le duc d'Olivarès/The Duke *

Louis Jouvet Jules Eugène Louis Jouvet (24 December 1887 – 16 August 1951) was a French actor, theatre director and filmmaker. Early life Jouvet was born in Crozon. He had a stutter as a young man and originally trained as a pharmacist. He receive ...

as Le chapelain/The Priest *Lyne Clevers as La poissonnière/The Fish-Wife (as Lynne Clevers) * Micheline Cheirel as Siska *Maryse Wendling as La boulangère/The Baker's Wife *Ginette Gaubert as L'aubergiste/The Inn-Keeper's Wife *Marguerite Ducouret as La femme du brasseur/The Brewer's Wife * Bernard Lancret as Julien Breughel, a young painter *

Alfred Adam Alfred Roger Adam (4 April 1908 – 7 May 1982) was a French stage and film character actor, who usually played weak or villainous roles. Selected filmography *''Speedway'' (1929) - Doctor (uncredited) *'' La Kermesse Héroïque'' (1935) - Jose ...

as Josef Van Meulen, le boucher *Pierre Labry as L'aubergiste/The Inn-Keeper * Arthur Devère as Le poissonnier/The Fishmonger (as Arthur Devere) *Marcel Carpentier as Le boulanger/The Baker *

Alexander D'Arcy Alexander D'Arcy ( ar, ألكسندر دارسي; 10 August 1908 – 20 April 1996) was an Egyptian stage, television and film actor with an international film repertoire. Career Born Alexander Sarruf in Cairo, Egypt, D'Arcy, variously credited ...

as Le capitaine/The Captain (as Alexandre Darcy) *Claude Sainval as Le lieutenant/The Lieutenant (as Claude Saint Val) *Delphin as Le nain/The Dwarf

Background and production

''Carnival in Flanders'' / ''La Kermesse héroïque'' was made by Jacques Feyder immediately after his dark psychological drama '' Pension Mimosas'', and he said that he wanted to relax by making a farce, far removed from the present day. He turned to a short story written at his suggestion ten years earlier by Charles Spaak, set in 17th century Flanders when it was under Spanish occupation. For the visual style of the film, Feyder wanted to pay tribute to the old masters of his native country — Brueghel,

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century group ...

Pieter de Hoogh Pieter de Hooch (, also spelled "Hoogh" or "Hooghe"; 20 December 1629 (baptized) – 24 March 1684 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary of ...

— and an elaborate creation of a Flemish town was undertaken (in suburban Paris) by the designer Lazare Meerson. Sumptuous costumes were provided by Georges K. Benda. The strong cast included Feyder's wife

and

. The film was produced by the French subsidiary of the German firm Tobis, and it was made in two versions, French and German, with alternative casts (apart from Françoise Rosay who appeared in both).

Reception

On the strength of its richly detailed tableaux and the confident manner in which Feyder animated his historical farce, the film enjoyed considerable success in France and elsewhere in the world. The film historian Raymond Chirat pointed to the combination of the admirable sets, the splendid costumes, the biting irony of the story, and the quality of the acting which earned the film a cascade of awards, the admiration of the critics, and the support of the public. Georges Sadoul referred to "this important work, of exceptional beauty". Writing for '' The Spectator'' in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a good review, praising director Feyder for his ability to add "into his ribald story a touch of the genuine, and simple emotion". Comparing the film to

Restoration prose Restoration literature is the English literature written during the historical period commonly referred to as the English Restoration (1660–1689), which corresponds to the last years of Stuart reign in England, Scotland, Wales, and Irelan ...

, Greene claims that the "photography moves with a fine strut", and summarizes it as "an admirable film, a little obscene like most good comedies, and beautifully acted". Feyder won the Best Director Award at the 4th Venice International Film Festival in 1936. However, even on its first appearance in 1935 this tale of occupation and cheerful collaboration also caused uneasiness, and the screenwriter Henri Jeanson deplored the "Nazi inspiration" of the film. It was indeed enthusiastically praised in Germany, and its première in Berlin (15 January 1936) took place in the presence of

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

. (Yet, a few days after the outbreak of war in 1939, the film was banned in Germany and the occupied countries of Europe, and Jacques Feyder and Françoise Rosay subsequently sought refuge in Switzerland.) It was in Belgium that the film caused greatest controversy, perhaps for the unflattering portrayal of Flemish leaders in the 17th century, or in suspicion of covert references to the German occupation of Belgian territory during the First World War. At any rate, the release of the film led to brawls in cinemas in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Ghent, and Bruges. Even two decades later (1955), its enduring reputation irked

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

who wrote, in a broadside against so-called 'successful' films: "In this regard, the most hateful film is unarguably ''La Kermesse héroïque'' because everything in it is incomplete, its boldness is attenuated; it is reasonable, measured, its doors are half-open, the paths are sketched and only sketched; everything in it is pleasant and perfect."François Truffaut. ''The films in my life''; translated by Leonard Mayhew (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978), p.35. Nevertheless, this remains probably the most popular and widely known of Jacques Feyder's films.

Awards

* 1936 Grand Prix du cinéma français * 1936 4th Venice International Film Festival : Jacques Feyder, best director * 1936 National Board of Review, USA : best foreign film * 1937 New York Film Critics Circle Awards : best foreign film * 1938 Kinema Junpo Awards : best foreign film

Influences

The film was the basis for an American musical, called '' Carnival in Flanders'', which was produced in 1953.

References

External links

* * * *
''La Kermesse héroïque''
at filmsdefrance {{Authority control French historical comedy films 1930s historical comedy films 1935 romantic comedy films 1935 films French black-and-white films Films directed by Jacques Feyder Film controversies in Belgium Films set in Flanders Films set in the 1610s Films shot in Bruges Films shot in Paris French multilingual films French historical romance films French romantic comedy films 1935 multilingual films 1930s French-language films 1930s French films