Bon Voyage (Rappeneau, 2004) DVD

Jean-Paul Rappeneau's wartime comedy Bon Voyage details the adventures of a beautiful actress, a besotted writer, a thief, a politician, a professor and his female assistant as they arrive in Bordeaux, having either fled from Paris or for purposes of resistance. As their paths intertwine, they find they must work together to combat the threat imposed by the ringleader of a faction of German spies.
The Drôle de Guerre period, when a bizarre ambiance lay over France as they waited for the Germans to attack, is beautifully captured in the film. Rappeneau has always been adept at evoking period (Cyrano De Bergerac, The Horseman On The Roof), and whilst the lush cinematography and production design won Césars (the French equivalent of the Oscars), the stunning costume design was also worthy of an award.
The larger-than-life characters lead to some lively, fun performances. Isabelle Adjani, as beautiful as ever, gives a great comic turn as the immoral actress Viviane who is capable of kindness as long as she herself is not at risk, whilst Gerard Depardieu plays the stock clueless politician role with panache. Two of France's most promising new stars (8 Women's Virginie Ledoyen and Grégori Derangère, who won a César for this role) impress as the youths around whom much of the plot revolve.
Although the film's light touch is one of its prime assets, subtly-suggested darker undercurrents are present - for example, Viviane's shameless machinations are first used to further her career, but by the end they are to save the lives of herself and her companions (in that order). Mostly, however, the film's comedy set pieces play like a sophisticated episode of Allo Allo, with some expertly orchestrated farcical episodes (a lengthy sequence in a crowded restaurant is particularly memorable). Bon Voyage never forgets that it is an escapist piece of high-hokum, and is all the better for it.

Alex Davidson on 20th December 2004
Author of 231 reviews