Vivacious
vaudevillians

Crowd-pleasing musical comedy
Faubourg 36 is as easy to love as Paris itself

FRENCH FELLOWSHIP: Faubourg 36

by CHRISTOPHER SYKES

With so many films coming out in the last couple of years spotlighting Paris as a central character (Cedric Klapisch’s recent Paris, Julie Delpy’s very interesting 2 Days in Paris, the epic Paris, je t’aime directed by almost everybody), it’s a wonder one doesn’t tire of the Eiffel Tower. Yet despite the cinematic onslaught, I never seem to. If New York is the “city that never sleeps,” then Paris is the city that never puts me to sleep. On the contrary, Faubourg 36 left me humming “La Marseillaise.”

Director Christophe Barratier follows up the success of his debut film, Les choristes, with this dramatic musical/comedy set in the Parisian suburbs. It’s 1936, and the Great Depression rages on. Disenchantment has led to the rise of two clashing parties: the governing left-wing Front Populaire, and the fascists eager to seize power and follow in the footsteps of their German neighbours.

With such a gloomy setting, it’s impressive that Barratier manages to instill so much joie de vivre in Faubourg. As it opens with main character Pigoil (Gérard Jugnot) being dumped by his wife, and then laid off when the theatre he works at runs out of cash, I was scared this was going to turn into an Almódovarian melodrama, minus the transsexuals.

The setback is only temporary, as Jugnot and his unemployed accomplices, Milou (Clovis Cornillac), a fearless idealist who believes he will save France, and Jacky (Kad Merad), an intrepid if somewhat naïve comedian, occupy the empty theatre and set up a new vaudeville show. Things aren’t looking bright until young starlet Douce (Nora Arnezeder) takes the stage as a frilly-dressed announcer and steals the show with her ballads. Soon Arnezeder and company are the talk of the town.

Everything I couldn’t stomach about Baz Luhrmann’s over-the-top Moulin Rouge I loved in Faubourg. Barratier guides the camera throughout the theatre with the subtle grace of an auteur who’s been making films for decades. The acting by the ensemble cast is stellar, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with Jugnot and Arnezeder in particular. The set design and costumes are divine. In fact, it’s as easy to fall in love with Faubourg as it is with Paris. Minus the fascists and stale baguettes, of course.

FAUBOURG 36 OPENS THIS
FRIDAY, OCT. 10