This movie was made for all these who feel nostalgic for their schooldays :an insert at the beginning of the movie tells us so..So it may have been ,and if so then,it magnificently succeeds in its purpose.Pierre Very ,the scenarist,worked wonders here.
Saint-Agil is a boarding -school where three pals have formed a secret society "les chiche-capons" (I do not even know what it means in my first language).One of them is writing a novel which takes the three boys in a world of adventures in Mexico.And there are the teachers;one of them (Von Stroheim)is an alien,probably a German ,although he teaches English,and the others do not like him very much.We are in 1938,and there are hints at war ("A war is always against the aliens" , a rather dumb teacher says ,forgetting the numerous civil wars).
Pierre Very astutely mixed two stories which seem independent but which will become one towards the ending (think Hitchcok's "family plot ").One concerns the students :two of them disappear ,where have they gone?A mysterious postcard is sent from America.The other deals with the teachers:one of them falls in the stairs: was it an accident,did he jump,or was he pushed?It's all the more puzzling as the fuses have blown at the same time.And why is there a fork on the floor?
Spoiler:Von Stroheim's presence is very moving.In his part of a misunderstood teacher,he almost outshines Michel Simon,no small feat.The ending,which sees this (German?) teacher join the secret society can be interpreted as a plea for friendship ,not only between adults and adolescents but also between nations.End of spoiler
"Les disparus de Saint-Agil" ,released at the time when the French cinema was at its absolute peak ,is one of Christian-Jaque 's finest films :he tried to repeat the formula (two stories ,a children and an adult one) in "l'assassinat du père noel"(1941) which was written by Very too,but it was not as convincing.
"Les anciens de Saint-Loup"(1950),although featuring different characters ,was supposed to be a sequel to "les disparus.." but the magic was gone and although it retains some charm in the first part,it's finally a disappointment.
Saint-Agil is a boarding -school where three pals have formed a secret society "les chiche-capons" (I do not even know what it means in my first language).One of them is writing a novel which takes the three boys in a world of adventures in Mexico.And there are the teachers;one of them (Von Stroheim)is an alien,probably a German ,although he teaches English,and the others do not like him very much.We are in 1938,and there are hints at war ("A war is always against the aliens" , a rather dumb teacher says ,forgetting the numerous civil wars).
Pierre Very astutely mixed two stories which seem independent but which will become one towards the ending (think Hitchcok's "family plot ").One concerns the students :two of them disappear ,where have they gone?A mysterious postcard is sent from America.The other deals with the teachers:one of them falls in the stairs: was it an accident,did he jump,or was he pushed?It's all the more puzzling as the fuses have blown at the same time.And why is there a fork on the floor?
Spoiler:Von Stroheim's presence is very moving.In his part of a misunderstood teacher,he almost outshines Michel Simon,no small feat.The ending,which sees this (German?) teacher join the secret society can be interpreted as a plea for friendship ,not only between adults and adolescents but also between nations.End of spoiler
"Les disparus de Saint-Agil" ,released at the time when the French cinema was at its absolute peak ,is one of Christian-Jaque 's finest films :he tried to repeat the formula (two stories ,a children and an adult one) in "l'assassinat du père noel"(1941) which was written by Very too,but it was not as convincing.
"Les anciens de Saint-Loup"(1950),although featuring different characters ,was supposed to be a sequel to "les disparus.." but the magic was gone and although it retains some charm in the first part,it's finally a disappointment.