Evening star., 1948-06-17

There can be little argument thai
George Rouquier has found the
most novel of recent ideas for {
motion picture in "Farrebique,
which opened yesterday at the
Dupont. Here. in 80 minutes oI
singularly dramatic photography
moviegoers are treated to search
ing study of how life goes on on q
postwar farm in France.
Beyond that, Producer Rouquiel
has left it to individual moViegoers
to answer for themselves how
curious they are about his subject
For those who want truly unique
unconventional, but quite faSclnat-
ing 90 minutes of cinema art
"Farrebioue" is it. The mere
thought of such picture, however
would send any moviemaker but
Pouquier to his psychiatrist if it did
not land him in the place for the
incurably insane.
"Farrebique" seeks the dramatic
where it SENS least likely to exist
in the quiet country where nothing
happens but life. 1t photographs
the weather around the calendar
how DAY changes into night, how
horses and COWS and humans teeI
in the spring, the bees going about
their business, the coming of cleo
tricity and Farrebique babies, and
the funeral of grandfather after
the property has been divided.
The first requisite of a producer
embarking upon such an adventure
in the specifically trivial is an
enormous faith in his cameraman.
Rouruier had it in his man, Anore
A. Danton. A superb artist who
never lets MS colleagues down. He
had It, too. in Henri Sauguet, a
composer whose score for Fare
bioue" may not be as big as life. but
makes it sound pleasant neverthe-
less.
"Farrebique" is an encyclopedia
Document of French peasant life
1t took a year to make. as 1t needs
must to get the weather of summer
fall, winter and spring at the farm
where Rououier and his cameraman
stationed themselves. It's actors are
not actors at all, merely the several
generations of the farms regular
occupants, their neighbors and the
relatives who went away to the city
These people do not Act. They
Just go through their routine days
baking the bread, dressing the chill
dren for school, milking the COWS
feeding the horses and pigs anc
plowing, planting and harvesting The
crops, both vegetable and animal.
Through the lives Of these people
run three problems more pressing
than their manifold other problems
One Of these is whether to electrlfy
the farm, another how soon they
can get at the building OF A new
d7ouse for Farrehique, and the last
how to divide the property when
grandfather is no longer alive to
keep control.
Pouo,lier bOthers to lay no dramatic
stress upon these major dllemmas.
They are there and they come up
in the family councils after the
days work is done. But they are
constantly being shunted aside by
the necessity for keeping Fare
biuue" going. It is large farm
and every one has his work to do.
including second son Henri. whose
courtship Of the girl on the next
farm is dramatically undramatic,
Nature sets the tempo Of tie Du-
pont's distinctive feature. and she
vas in a bland mood through most
of the wear of the pictures making
She whips up a storm or two, lust
for variety, but in the main she Is
concerned with the great, SLOW
rhythm of life where man is not
massed upon the scene. Seedtime
CESSATION and harvest are her in
terests and nature has kept them
going too long to get excited about
them in "Farrebique." Or else
where.
The Dupont is no place for a
moviegoer to wander into just to
see a picture, but forewarned as
to what he will find in "Farreblque.
he might we'll go there deliberately