Antoine et Antoinette / Antoine and Antoinette

Dreams in a mirror: Antoinette (Claire Mafféi) creates a wishlist with lipstick.

Antoinette (Claire Mafféi) is the object of the unwarranted attention of M. Roland, the grocery store patron (Noël Roquevert).

Pariisi, ah Pariisi! / Två i Paris.
    FR 1947. PC: Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont. P: Georges André. P management: Charles-Félix Tavano, René-Gaston Vuattoux.
    D: Jacques Becker. SC: Jacques Becker, Maurice Griffe, Françoise Giroud. Cin: Pierre Montazel – 35 mm – b&w – 1,37:1. AD: Robert-Jules Garnier. Makeup: Joseph Mejinsky. M: Jean-Jacques Grunenwald. "Antoine et Antoinette" (comp. Marc Lanjean, lyr. André Hornez), perf. Max Elloy. "Il était un Roi de Thulé" (comp. Charles Gounod, lyr. Jules Barbier, Michel Carré), perf. Huguette Faget. S: Jacques Lebreton. ED: Marguerite Renoir. Ass D: Maurice Griffe, Marcel Camus.
    C (Wikipédia): Roger Pigaut : Antoine Moulin, ouvrier typographe, mari d'Antoinette
Claire Mafféi : Antoinette Moulin, employée au photomaton de Prisunic, femme d'Antoine
Noël Roquevert : M. Roland, le patron de l'épicerie
Gaston Modot : le caissier de la loterie nationale
Made Siamé : la patronne du tabac
Pierre Trabaud : Riton, le jeune boxeur
Jacques Meyran : M. Barbelot, chef de rayon à Prisunic
François Joux : le marié
Gérard Oury : le client galant
Charles Camus : le patron du tabac
Émile Drain : le beau-père
Annette Poivre : Juliette, employée R.A.T.P.** à la station "La Fourche" et voisine du couple
     Cast n.c.
Paulette Jean : Huguette
Huguette Faget : Aline, la mariée
Yette Lucas : la mère de Riton
Charles Vissières : l'habitué du tabac
Paul Barge : le boucher
Maurice Marceau : Popaul
René Stern : le photographe
Nicolas Amato : un client
Léon Bary : un voyageur
Marthe Mellot : la chaisière
Odette Barencey : la blanchisseuse
Marcelle Hainia : une invitée à la noce
Renée Thorel : une acheteuse de billet de loterie
Bob Ingarao : un spectateur
Pierre Leproux : Marcel
Louis de Funès : Émile le garçon épicier et un invité à la noce
    Tournage dans les Studios de Saint-Maurice, extérieurs à Paris*, du 3 novembre 1946 à avril 1947.
    2420 m / 84 min
    Comédie dramatique
    Festival premiere: Sep 1947 Cannes : Grand prix du festival de Cannes 1947 (l'équivalent de la Palme d'Or) catégorie amour et psychologie
    Date de sortie: France: 31 Oct 1947.
    Helsinki premiere: Adlon 26 Oct 1948, distributed by Suomen Filmiteollisuus SF Oy.
    Corona lockdown viewings.
    MUBI, viewed with English subtitles at home in Helsinki on a 4K tv set, 3 May 2020.

AA: Jacques Becker was an experienced film veteran having worked for ten years in the productions of Jean Renoir in the 1930s before being called to the front and becoming a prisoner-of-war during the German invasion and occupation of France in 1940. Becker debuted as a film director with three films during the Occupation.

After the Armistice Becker re-launched his career with four comédies dramatiques (Antoine et Antoinette, Rendez-vous de juillet, Édouard et Caroline, Rue de l'Estrapade) which have been cited as the most rousing account of life in post-war France. Unbothered by flimsy plots Becker created a rich and detailed portrait of society and its many layers under a period of reconstruction.

Also in Antoine et Antoinette Becker uses a soap bubble plot as a pretext for a vigorous cinematic survey of Paris. The excellent cinematography on location is by Pierre Montazel who later shot even Touchez pas au grisbi for Becker. Montazel's masterful photography here was so well received that he even switched into film direction himself, helming six films.

The fast and exciting montage has been conducted by none other than Marguerite Renoir who had edited Jean Renoir's 1930s masterpieces including La Bête humaine, La grande illusion and La Règle du jeu. After that she became Becker's trusted editor, starting with Dernier atout and continuing until Le Trou. An especially effective montage sequence is the knocked-out Antoine's delirium during which he unlocks the mystery of the switched lottery ticket.

Antoine et Antoinette is close to the later Italian "pink Neorealist" films such as Due soldi di speranza by Renato Castellani. The titles of Dino Risi's Poveri ma belli and Belle ma povere express the core concept: these people have nothing but themselves, but they are young and beautiful and they have big dreams and hopes for the future. This is the key concept of escapist entertainment – and great art as a counter-image to dreary everyday reality. To fight for your rights you have to dream of a better life.

The film is more a study of society than a piece of psychological realism. The characters are one-dimensional, but the portrait of their interactions is dynamic. There is an affinity with the cross-section film in the pursuit of the lost lottery ticket.

Roger Pigaut and Claire Mafféi are cast as the attractive young couple, and Noël Roquevert plays M. Roland, the grocery-store owner, whose attentions on Antoinette border on harassment. In times of post-war shortage and poverty Roland has a position of power which he abuses to seduce or coerce women.

Seen through the Me Too lens, Antoine et Antoinette is proof of a deeply ingrained culture of exploitation of women. Under that lens, Becker comes off very well. We identify with Antoinette who is between two fires. She has to fend off the advances of Monsieur Roland – and defend herself against the jealousy of Antoine.

It's a pleasure to recognize in the cast French film industry heavyweights in bit parts, including the ubiquitous Gaston Modot, Gérard Oury and Louis de Funès.

The digital presentation looks fine on a tv screen and does justice to Pierre Montazel's beautiful cinematography. Presumably on view is the 2012 Gaumont restoration of this film.

I have been a follower of MUBI and its predecessor The Auteurs for years. Today I became a subscriber of the MUBI streaming service, and Antoine et Antoinette was my first MUBI selection.

*  Lieux de tournage (Wikipédia):
Paris 8e : avenue des Champs-Élysées, rue d'Aguesseau, rue de l'Élysée, jardins des Champs-Élysées (promenade en barque sur le lac), carré Marigny, avenue Gabriel, fontaine du Cirque ;
Paris 16e : match de football au Parc des Princes ;
Paris 17e : avenue de Saint-Ouen ;
Paris 18e : station de métro La Fourche.

**  RATP = Régie autonome des transports parisiens.