Word: monsieur
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...first glance, the story of a 17th century priest who spent the last 43 years of his life working tirelessly for the poor, the sick, and the aged would seem to be unattractive raw material for a motion picture. "Monsieur Vincent" does fail to escape the difficulties imposed upon it by the story--it has few dramatic moments and no plot; it "preaches," to a degree. But the total effect of this picture is one of strength and simplicity and unquenchable sincerity. Somehow--the reasons cannot be ticked off "one, two, three"--Viscount de la Grandiere, the producer, and Maurice...
Much of this is the work of Pierre Fresnay, who plays the title role with blazing honesty and humility. The part of a saint is patently not an easy one; in the hands of a lesser actor, "Monsieur Vincent" would have been hopelessly marred. The entire weight of the film rests on the central character, and Fresnay carries it with ease...
There are terrifying scenes of human suffering in "Monsieur Vincent. Hundreds of pitiful creatures press hopefully into the St. Lazare hospital; the priest cannot bear to turn them away, even though the mission is overcrowded and the charity workers are overburdened. Saint Vincent finds reason for bitterness elsewhere as well: the society ladies from whom he gets financial support are frivolous and patronizing; his own loyal co-workers at St. Lazare shrink from providing aid for a child "conceived...
There is nothing subtle in "Monsieur Vincent." Saints, one may assume, are not subtle people, and the producers fortunately did not succumb to a temptation to modernize or sophisticate this story of the good man in a sorrowful world. They filmed the saint's life straight-forwardly, and that, together with the abilities of Pierre Fresnay, makes "Monsieur Vincent" worthy of all the awards it has already received in Europe...
Oxford & Admiration. As Monsieur X, Antonin Besse had explained last fall, in part, why he had given so much to Oxford. No Oxford man himself, he had admired Oxonians as acquaintances and employees, wanted more young men trained as they had been. Besse has not yet explained one further mystery: he sent his own two sons to Cambridge...