Le voyage imaginaire (1926) User Reviews

provoking and fascinating

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 7/10 · 11 May 2006]

"Le Voyage Imaginaire" belongs to the most avant-garde first period of the frenchified film director René Clair. This is from his silent and experimental film period of which this German Count is very fond despite Herr Clair being a descendant of those revolutionaries who treated so badly the aristocracy of that country some years ago.

"Le Voyage Imaginaire" is full of suggestions in which different genres are mixed (avant-garde, comedy, surrealism) without any real connection. It's a really bizarre film that relates the complicated relationship between three bank clerks (and their boss) for the typist girl that works in the same office. Herr Clair creates a dream world which plunges the audience into a universe full of fantasy. There are lady fortunetellers, fairies, classic story characters and even modern heroes such as "Charlot" (for the frenchified people) not to mention the "Notre Dame" roofs and the museum "Grévin". To this German Count it seems to be a kind of deluded fairy tale, extravagant, anxiously exaggerated and very rich in film ideas.

That mixed dream world benefits from using all the special effects known at that time (slow motion, double exposure, optical effects) combined with simple backgrounds that are perfect for the formal aspect of the story. It all creates an unreal atmosphere, incredible and dumbfounding at times. Herr Clair directed a very special film that is thought-provoking and fascinating.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must return to the solemn, martial and aristocratic Teutonic world.

The Power of Imagination

[Eumenides_0 · 8/10 · 27 February 2010]

Rene Clair proves that he's one of the most magical directors that ever lived with this obscure movie. The Imaginary Voyage is exactly what the title says: a man's journey through a landscape made of dreams, desires, fantasy and magic.

The movie describes a meek bank clerk enamored with a typist. The hero lacks confidence in himself and lets his colleagues push him around, which leads the girl to have no respect for him.

One afternoon he falls asleep at his desk and dreams a most wonderful dream: he saves the life of a fortune teller, who reveals to be a fairy, who takes him to her magical palace, where he's rewarded with the woman he loves. But an evil fairy brings the two bank colleagues along and chaos and silly antics ensure. Most of this dream narrative is composed of wonderfully charming and innocent episodes: a procession of figures from fairy-tales; the Puss-in-Boots chasing the clerk's beloved who's been transformed into a mouse; the other clerks transforming him into a dog; a wax figure museum coming to life, and, in one of the warmest homages to Chaplin ever, a Chaplin wax figure coming to life to save the day! Rene Clair didn't lack anything in the imagination department, which would more than compensate any lack of technique. However he was also a good filmmaker, capable of using simple resources to sustain a narrative from beginning to end. All his scenes are filled with humor and wonder.

The movie shows that the power imagination has in our lives, as the clerk comes out of his dream with renewed confidence in himself. It's a simple message, but so evident that sometimes people forget. Fortunately this movie still exists to keep it alive.