Marche à l'ombre (1984)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Michel Blanc

Writers:

Michel Blanc (writer)
Patrick Dewolf (writer)

Release Date:

17 October 1984 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Two friends, one a musician the other constantly depressed wander around Greece and France till they get to Paris without a penny to their name...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Begging | Rain | On The Road | Guitar

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Gérard Lanvin	...	François
Michel Blanc	...	Denis
Sophie Duez	...	Mathilde
Mimi Félixine	...	Marie-Gabrielle
Béatrice Camurat	...	Martine
Prosper Niang	...	Prosper
Katrine Boorman	...	Katrina
Jean-François Dérec	...	Le patron de l'hôtel
Bernard Farcy	...	Monsieur Christian
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Didier Agostini	...	1er Racketteur
Philippe Auriault	...	Jeune homme moto
François Berléand	...	L'inspecteur de police receleur
Dominique Besnehard	...	Le garçon 'Smalto'
Carole Brenner	...	Vendeuse Parfumerie
Patrick Bruel	...	Le guitariste du métro
Nelly Co-Quat	...	Danseuse
Coquillette	...	Vendeuse Supermarche
Erick Desmarestz	...	L'interne
Yves Elliot	...	Le Filleul
Lydia Ewandé	...	La Cousine
Pierre Forget	...	Le fourgue
Gilberte Géniat	...	La Retraitee
Pascal Gruselle	...	3ème Racketteur
Louba Guertchikoff	...	La Folle Hôpital
Maka Kotto	...	Joseph
Alain Lachassagne	...	Cliente prostituee
Guy Laporte	...	Le routier
Théo Légitimus	...	La Folle Hôpital
Jean-Marc Maurel	...	L'inspecteur Commissariat
Jean Odoutan
Didier Pain	...	L'infirmier
Eric Picou	...	Le Travesti
Marie Pillet	...	La femme du fourgue
Jean-Simon Prévost	...	Le Retraite
Michel Sebban	...	Dancer
Sophie Tellier	...	Danseuse
Yasmine Texier	...	Danseuse
Georges Zsiga	...	2ème Racketteur

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Company:

Films A2

Great dramedy on living with nothing on the "first world".

A film about friendship, making a living only with a good heart, and social contrasts. The oldish, 80sh look, and the ending make this small film a great line in the tradition of "2 uneven social outcasts who have nothing but are reasonably happy". I can think now of "Les Apprentis" with Guillaume Depardieu.

The fact that Michel Blanc is also the director shows what a brain is hidden behind his shabby "pauvre type" looks. Remarkable! OK, we've seen it before: François is young, handsome, and gifted at something (music). Denis... is a balding, skinny, hypochondriac good for nothing, an "enmerdeur" (some slurs can only be said it French :)). And yet, through the magic of cinema, we find out that they sort of "need each other". Or at least, that's what they decide after having decided to leave about 20 times only during this short film :)!

Our handsome hero not only takes care of his looser friend, he also lies to this dashing girl not to tie her to a sub looser like him. What's more, he didn't even lie to her about his "CV" like he did to his former girl etc. The fact that they ran across while... giving a scrappy performance under the rain only shows that... love can be found at the weirdest corner :)!

Let us not forget Gérard Lanvin. He plays just the opposite side of the social strata at Camping (2006) *he's "Michel Saint-Josse" a successful physician, well, aesthetic surgeon, full of money, connections, but pretty unbearable. I guess that's good acting!

Both actor being so young at this film is an added bonus, source of some weirdness too :).

The IMDb user is right that the scenes of the hospital and driving are funny. I'd add the "squatters", the small counterfeiter's's depressed wife, the disagreeable dingy hotel's prejudices "les putes et les pedes"... just hilarious! Only someone who has known a bit the underworld, and then risen, only to fall further (which seemed impossible), and then up again, like a roller coaster, can understand that this move is not necessarily SF, even though it may sound difficult to believe. The ending's music was a bit too much, too tacky American, and definitely worth taking away, or changing, after the initial end credits. Maybe it was a kind of ironic message, but I suspect it was only a concession. Which would be totally all right to our characters, who did just about everything for a buck *totally understandable under the circumstances*!

Overall, a great film. Warm hearted, after all. Recommended!