Cœur de gueux
Jean Epstein, FR 1935Screenplay: G.B. Seyta, Camille François; Cinematography: Mario Albertelli, Augusto Tiezzi; Editing: Giacinto Solito; Music: Jean Lenoir, Jacques Dallin; Cast: Madeleine Renaud, Ermete Zacconi, André Burgère, Charles Dechamps, Blanche Beaume, Pierre Hot, Philippe Janvier, Teddy Michaud, Midroit, Max Monroy, Violette Napierska, Pitouto, Jacky Vilmont, Suzy Wall. 35mm, bw, 72 min. French with English subtitles
With Cœur de gueux, Jean Epstein crafted a work of restrained, yet affecting melodrama set against a backdrop of the circus and the open road. Adapted from a silent film of the same name from 1925 directed by Alfred Machin and Henry Wulschleger, Cœur de gueux follows the misadventures of a young woman who is seduced, disillusioned and ultimately swept away by the itinerant life of a fairground performer. Co-writing the dialogues of his adaptation, Epstein infuses the story with a more modern sensitivity, balancing the social drama of the original with his usual penchant for visual poetry. While firmly rooted in the conventions of melodrama and certainly part of director's "commercial output," Cœur de gueux transcends the genre through Epstein's precise mastery of narrative economy and understated emotional weight. Visually less experimental than his avant-garde work of the 1920s, the film nonetheless reveals the director's enduring humanism and fascination with those living at the margins of society. In portraying this world of traveling artists and disillusioned dreamers, Epstein captures a lyrical tenderness that lingers long after the final reel. (J.-M.G.)
Courtesy Cinémathèque française
Screening dates:
Mi 22.10.2025 11:00
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No reservations accepted for screenings from October 17 to 28; special ticket regulations apply during the Viennale. Tickets are available exclusively at the Viennale box offices, via telephone at 01/526 594 769 or via www.viennale.at.