Les naufrageurs (1959) User Reviews

Finistère coast in scope

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 7/10 · 26 October 2017]

"Les Naufrageurs" is a fine story about a village having nothing to eat and it happens that a boat has washed up on the coast (because of somebody) and the people recover food and other stuff. Paranoia takes place and it becomes more and more complex. Ghislain Cloquet's cinematography in scope of the Britain landscape is outstanding, and there are some magnificent travellings. Dramatic scenes are very well shot. Casting is not terrific, it would have needed better actors, even Charles Vanel isn't convincing, his character being too light. But it is fine entertainment that could have been much better in casting and characters.

Wreck in the nouvelle vague.

[dbdumonteil · 18 June 2002]

This movie came too late.The late fifties were the the nouvelle vague time and that kind of movie was bound to be dismissed as academic,boring and conventional.But there was more.About ten years before,Jean Delannoy made a movie "Dieu a besoin des hommes" which dealt with almost the same subject.And Delannoy's work is much better:compare for instance,the way people speak in the two movies:Delannoy asked his actors to use a very pronounced accent in lieu of the Breton language most of his audience could not understand.In Brabant's "les naufrageurs",the actors speak the 1958 French-as the action is meant to take place in 1852!on a remote Breton island too!There's worse:the German sailor ,saved from the wrecking by the local (female)little savage speaks fluent French!!

This little savage is a stereotype ,the umpteenth outcast character ,we've heard it all before.No character emerges from this story:Henri Vidal was a competent but limited actor and he is not an effective lead here.Charles Vanel's got an uninteresting part,so has Dany Carrel.Only the beautiful black and white landscapes are worth watching the movie.

Word to the wise:do take "Dieu a besoin des hommes" instead!