Another Movie Guide

Bay of Angels (Jacques Demy, 1963) – Classic DVD Review

There’s something about the black and white photography, the squawky mono sound, and the fluid yet understated camera moves that gets you into a romantic mood when watching Jacques Demy’s Bay of Angels. Maybe that’s because we modern Americans tend to associate the French cinema in general with romanticism. Or maybe this film earns its delicate atmosphere of dangerous playfulness all on its own. If you’re one to shudder at the idea of a black and white film in French from 1963, give this one a chance. It’s accessible, straightforward, and becomes quite moving despite running not even 80 minutes long.

It’s the story of Jean Fournier, a bank clerk who wins some money playing roulette at a club in Paris, and quickly catches the gambling bug. Determined to win more, he packs up for Nice, so he can try his luck at a real casino without having to put up with his nattering father at home. When he gets there, he quickly teams up with Jackie Demaistre, who seems to be a veteran of the gambling scene. When we meet her she’s on her last bet, and she looks haggard and worn out like she hasn’t slept for days. She’s a mess of troubles, and seems to herald nothing but trouble for Jean. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from falling in love with her.

The heart of the film is the performance by Jean Moreau, and how she adds shades of subtlety and depth to the relationship that builds between Jackie and Jean. She’s the type of person who is constantly thinking on her feet. She’s got a bit of con artist in her; only problem is she doesn’t know when to walk away. As we get closer to her, we begin to realize just how abnormal her life is, how swiftly her fortunes swing from high to low. She uses her sexuality as best she can, but Moreau brings out the ever-present panic that such a lifestyle would imply. Thus, Demy and Moreau make us sympathize with her while simultaneously understanding that she is the destructive force.

There’s something fetching about her desperation, and Jean falls hard for her. He must have her because something about her turns him on. She picked him up because he’s good luck, and this is what she’s made a habit out of. She’ll use her men until they stop being lucky for her, whether that means they literally bring her luck, which is the case with Jean, or they merely give her money for the next bet. As long as she can stay planted at the roulette wheel, she’s happy. Typical of his gender, Jean falls in love with Jackie against reason. However, reason is not ruling the day here. Theirs is a lustful, romantic affair driven by the periodic charge of the high stakes bet.

More than anything, this is a sympathetic character study of the addict gambler. These people threaten to destroy their lives, and very often do. For what? For money? When you see how they spend it when they have it, you’ll know its not as simple as that. It’s the rush; it’s the thrill of living from moment to moment, without a security net; that’s what these people are addicted to. The love borne from this addiction, fed by this rush, cannot be sustainable.

Alas, Demy is not as cynical as I. A more “mature” film would feel the need to lecture our protagonist, or put him through some horrible ordeal, or to psychologize the addiction as some sort of disorder. Demy has no interest in these judgmental poses. Rather, the film posits that these are bored bourgeoisie freely choosing the vitality of chaos, and who are we to feel superior? While one can dismiss the film as a lark not to be taken very seriously, its fantasy ending feels right to me. Their emotional lives are fully three-dimensional, and therefore the film earns the right to wish them well. I don’t need my nose rubbed in reality ALL the time. We all know what would happen to these characters in a moralistic (or realistic) version of this film, and we don’t need to actually see it go there. No need to spoil the mood.

Maxwell Anderson is an avid film watcher and blogger. He is also a freelance assistant video editor in New York City. You can contact him through his blog Ecstatic Text: http://ecstatictext.blogspot.com