![]() ![]() The father is forced to push on alone in maintaining the lighthouse-which is of utmost importance to approaching ships, given the adverse weather conditions-while keeping a safe distance from his increasingly violent son. His father (Paul Fromet) attempts to care for him, but Yvon, who steadily goes mad as the rabies spreads through his system, resists help. Yvon’s condition worsens as the shift progresses, but rising tides and stormy weather prevent any doctor from coming to his assistance. ![]() Once they arrive, a flashback reveals that the son, Yvon (Geymond Vital), was bitten by a rabid dog earlier that day. After introducing the characters at home, Grémillon shows them sailing to their work site for a month-long shift. It begins in a small town on the northern French coast, where a father and son operate a lighthouse not far from the shore. You might say that the emotional timbre rises and falls like the waves, which are a prominent motif in the film.Īdapted from a play of the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, The Lighthouse Keepers tells a simple story but considers such large themes as family, professional responsibility, and death. (The director trained as a musician and composer before going into filmmaking.) The Lighthouse Keepers is, however, consistently surprising-watching it, you’re never sure how Grémillon will present any particular event or whether the drama will be subtle or bold. Remarkably it doesn’t feel at all disjointed: Grémillon shifts fluidly between styles, the film flowing like a piece of music. This is especially true of The Lighthouse Keepers, which seems to change its stylistic approach from scene to scene. The films of his I’ve seen can’t be labeled impressionist, expressionist, realist, or surrealist rather, they move between all these modes, operating in a style all their own. Unlike most other major French directors who started out in the silent era (Jean Epstein, Jean Renoir, René Clair), Grémillon resists easy categorization. But even if Grémillon’s work were more readily available, he might still have a narrow reputation. Films by this inventive French director are hard to come by in this country, particularly the silent ones-only three of Grémillon’s films, all made in the 1940s, are available on DVD in the U.S. This Saturday, Music Box will screen Jean Grémillon’s extraordinary silent feature The Lighthouse Keepers (1929) from a rare 35-millimeter print. Best of Chicago 2022: Sports & Recreation. ![]() Best of Chicago 2022: Music & Nightlife.Get your Best of Chicago tickets! Line-Up Announced > Close ![]()
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