The problem with this movie is not a lack of star-power. The cast includes my four favorite French actors (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Alain Delon, Yves Montand), my favorite French actress (Simone Signoret), and a number of American movie stars, as well (Kirk Douglas as Gorge Patton, Glenn Ford as Omar Bradley, Orson Welles as the Swedish ambassador, Anthony Perkins as a bazooka-wielding soldier thrilled at the idea of Paris, and George Charkiris, a plus for me). The Germans are less familiar. Gert Frobe (Goldfinger himself) plays General Dietrich von Choltitz, the commander.

General von Choltitz is the only character whose role runs from the beginning of the movie--when he receives orders from Hitler to defend Paris to the last man and to destroy it if it cannot be held, to nearly the end--when he leaves his headquarters after surrendering. Why this general--who was chosen precisely because Hitler and his inner circle were convinced that he would obey the order to destroy the city--ultimately disobeys the order would be a good question on which to base a movie about Paris not being in flames when the Nazis lost control of it. Alas, this is a question the viewer still has at the end.

S/he will have many, many others. The first hour and a half -- which seem more like ten and a half -- shows a bewildering array of French resistance groups. The screenplay provides not a clue about what the basis of any of the groups is, how they interrelate, etc. One can infer that Orson Welles was only interested in his pay check and/or that the number on it was too small to pay for more than one facial expression from him.

One may also infer that the portrayal of the Parisian resistance as liberating Paris made it easier to secure access to Parisian locations. The screenplay (credited to Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola) fits with the propagandistic views of de Gaulle's government, which was in power at the time the movie was filmed and with a very common French tendency to exaggerate the importance and extent of the resistance, while minimizing the importance and extent of enthusiastic collaboration with the Nazi occupiers.

Such pandering paid off, at least insofar as the city of Paris itself is the most compelling character in this long and muddled movie. Documentary footage is very well integrated with the fictional film. And the new (1966) footage was generally well-photographed (by Marcel Grignon), though many of the set-ups are very clichéd and the editing is execrable.

The French and German characters were dubbed into English, although most of them could speak English and made movies in English. Indeed, many of them dubbed their own lines in English in the movie. I do not understand why the scenes were not shot in French and in English versions--or subtitled. The movie would still be a mess, but the irritation of lips movement and sound not matching could have been avoided.

The lack of continuity of characters (except for General von Choltitz) is the major problem. There are many scenes that are well-played in themselves, but they don't fit together at all. Director René Clément had made at least two very compelling earlier films: Jeux Interdit/Forbidden Games, and Plein soleil/Purple Noon, the latter being the better version of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. Those were both films of much smaller scale with small numbers of actors and with strong plotlines. Clément neither had the experience in making epic movies nor any talent for it. (I think of Joseph Manckiewcz being thrust into directing "Cleopatra," but he had the experience of an all-star "Julius Caesar" and "Cleopatra" has considerably more continuity and limited number of major characters than "Is Paris Burning?" did.)

Other than the pictures of nearly deserted Paris landmarks, the three vignettes from the film that I enjoyed were Belmondo being shown through the presidential palace, Perkins's enthusiasm for seeing Paris, and Charkiris's examination of the front of Notre Dame. Together, these fill less than ten of the 163 minutes. Throw in another minute of Simone Signoret as a barkeeper speaking on the phone for a solider overcome with emotion. And you have? You have a long, incoherent movie not worth watching.


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age