Alliance Française French Film Festival: The slapstick humour of "Edmond" transcends any language
In Edmond, the creation of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’, is given a lively and hilarious fantasy retelling. Helmed by Alexis Malichik, the creator and director of the hugely successful stage play of the same name, Edmond posits the idea: “what if ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ was written under extreme circumstances, in the space of three weeks with mounting pressure from mobster-like investors, diva-like lead actresses, brick-like actors and a spiralling love-like triangle that becomes the inspiration for everything?” The film, if completely fabricated, is positively brimming with strange ideas that twist around each other to create brilliant comedy sequences reminiscent of Faulty Towers or Black Adder.
Edmond Rostand (Thomas Jolivéres), a young playwright, is struggling in his field. His previous plays were considered ‘flops’, primarily for their for frequent use of verse and verbose language. In this current climate, theatre-goers only want to see one thing: comedié. As the years go by, Edmond suffers from writer’s block and financial stress, whilst his ever-supportive wife Rosemund (Alice de Lencquesaing), slowly begins to lose faith in her once-brilliant husband. Enter Contant Coquelin (Olivier Gourmet, chewing every piece of available scenery), a dramatic actor on the verge of losing his 1,500 person seat residency at the Porte Saint-Martin Theatre. All he needs is to mount a successful play by the end of the year. Coquelin, an avid admirer of Rostand’s work, summons him to a meeting, and, under false pretense and lofty ambition, the two theatre has-beens, begin their mad dash to concoct a successful play in the space of three weeks, albeit with a cast of colourful, zany characters in tow.
Whilst taking many of its narrative cues from Shakespeare in Love, ‘Edmond’ nevertheless proves immense fun. The film’s set and costume design are outstanding, with acute attention-to-detail in the ornate, lavish garments and architecture of late-19th century Paris. The score, which might seem overly jaunty and somewhat obnoxious at the outset, ultimately proves consistent with the bouncy, rollicking ride of the narrative and serves to enhance the aforementioned comedy sequences that prove relentless and expertly crafted. A notable mention must go to a certain long-running trap-door gag which pays huge dividends in the films final act. The performances are all suitably hilarious, and Thomas Jolivéres nails the straight-man role as Edmond Rostand, and Olivier Gourmet steals every scene with his monstrous, yet bruised ego. There is also a real sense of warmth conjured up by the affection between Rostand and his wife Rosemund, as their relationship, though strained with jealousy, financial stress, and various other obstacles, nevertheless clings to a pervading sense that love conquers all; their marriage, a shining beacon of hope for the disillusioned class who see promiscuity as the norm.
Not to be taken too seriously and not to be over-intellectualized, this is a genuinely funny film, with expertly crafted comedic set-pieces reminiscent of the best moments of classic slapstick comedy. With a cartoonish tone that goes a mile-a-minute, tight direction and hilarious performances by a colourful supporting cast, this could be one of the funnier films released in a long time, in any language.
