Roger Pigaut was first an actor.His most memorable part was in Autant-Lara's "Douce" (1942).But he is probably best remembered for his part of villain D'Escrainville in the two final episodes of the Angélique saga.Other important roles include Becker's "Antoine Et Antoinette" ,Christian-Jaque's "Sortilèges" and Daquin's "Les Frères Bouquinquant";his most efficient co-star was Madeleine Robinson .By the early sixties ,his career as an actor was on the wane.
Filmed in color,by Alekan ,one of the French masters of cinematography,the pictures are a feast for the eye and the score follows suit;even if the plot is thin -Pierrot and sister Monique wants to find the Chinese child who sent the kite they've found in old Paris;with a little help from a Parisian Chinese ,fluent in French, from imaginary character Soo Woo Kang and lots and lots of Chinese brats ,they search ,looking for a needle in a haystack.
The movie astutely mixes realistic scenes and dreamlike sequences :flying to Peking was unthinkable for the average French of the fifties ;all the young actors are non-professionals ,but French cine buffs may spot Gabrielle Fontan as a gossip and Guy Delorme as a fire fighter ,coming to the rescue of a pussycat that cannot come down from a tree.
The children 's lines are often spontaneous ,with occasionally some literary expressions ("Peu Après").French and Chinese -until an interpreter intervenes ,in the shape of a young brunette-can communicate ,because they speak the heart language.
There's of course a Chinese version,for the movie was made by Pigaut and a Chinese director.We are treated to the delights of a Chinese lunch complete with noodles and chopsticks.And we enter the Forbidden City.
Today,like Lamorisse's works, "Le Cerf-Volant Du Bout Du Monde" is a little overlooked,almost never screened on TV.It's not even mentioned in the French "Dictionnaire Des Films" ,which is difficult to swallow ,as so many silly flicks aimed at the children's market are included,with violence aplenty and would be funny gags .Although it may not grab today's kids,it is a breath of fresh air.With hindsight,in the last minutes of the movie (which are the most moving ) ,you may have tears in your eyes when you think about today's world.
Pigaut would continue his directing career through the seventies ,but his movies had nothing to do with his kite : it was thrillers,the most memorable of which was arguably " Comptes A Rebours"
Filmed in color,by Alekan ,one of the French masters of cinematography,the pictures are a feast for the eye and the score follows suit;even if the plot is thin -Pierrot and sister Monique wants to find the Chinese child who sent the kite they've found in old Paris;with a little help from a Parisian Chinese ,fluent in French, from imaginary character Soo Woo Kang and lots and lots of Chinese brats ,they search ,looking for a needle in a haystack.
The movie astutely mixes realistic scenes and dreamlike sequences :flying to Peking was unthinkable for the average French of the fifties ;all the young actors are non-professionals ,but French cine buffs may spot Gabrielle Fontan as a gossip and Guy Delorme as a fire fighter ,coming to the rescue of a pussycat that cannot come down from a tree.
The children 's lines are often spontaneous ,with occasionally some literary expressions ("Peu Après").French and Chinese -until an interpreter intervenes ,in the shape of a young brunette-can communicate ,because they speak the heart language.
There's of course a Chinese version,for the movie was made by Pigaut and a Chinese director.We are treated to the delights of a Chinese lunch complete with noodles and chopsticks.And we enter the Forbidden City.
Today,like Lamorisse's works, "Le Cerf-Volant Du Bout Du Monde" is a little overlooked,almost never screened on TV.It's not even mentioned in the French "Dictionnaire Des Films" ,which is difficult to swallow ,as so many silly flicks aimed at the children's market are included,with violence aplenty and would be funny gags .Although it may not grab today's kids,it is a breath of fresh air.With hindsight,in the last minutes of the movie (which are the most moving ) ,you may have tears in your eyes when you think about today's world.
Pigaut would continue his directing career through the seventies ,but his movies had nothing to do with his kite : it was thrillers,the most memorable of which was arguably " Comptes A Rebours"
