Retro on Claude Goretta begins

CHANDIGARH, Dec 8: A wonderful human being and a crook...How can these two co-exist in one person? Well, that is Pierre and to understand...

CHANDIGARH, Dec 8: A wonderful human being and a crook…How can these two co-exist in one person? Well, that is Pierre and to understand him one has to get into the philosophy of Claude Goretta, the master film maker of Switzerland. As Goretta advocated the middle path between overly optimism and cynicism, that of not becoming resigned to one’s fate but looking at life with hope. It is going to be a feast for those who love this director’s films that dig out aspects of human beings in particular and life in general through frames that do not attempt the obvious.

The Swiss Film Festival that took off at the auditorium of the Institute of Microbial Technology features a retrospective of his films. The film fest is being organised by the Chandigarh Film Society in collaboration with the Swiss Embassy and the Federation of Film Societies of India. Goretta began as a cinephile and critic and went on to make such films that frequented major festivals across the globe like the Cannes.

He also believed in the delineation of his characters through separate episodes and moments woven together. So was it in this opening film, "Pas si Mechant Qoe ca” (The Wonderful Crook) as we get the character of Pierre through two women, his wife and his conscience-keeper. But interestingly, both of them get to see only one facet of his personality. The film’s strong point lies in the characterisation itself and young Gerard Depardieu, sans his locks, was a delight to watch as he struggled in and out of situations.

But, unfortunately, only around 15 could share in this experience of the Gorettan philosophy. Score highlight both the tension and the underlying spirit of survival. Nevertheless, the film ended on a symbolic note for as the allegory Pierre was playing in showed freedom from shackles, his freedom ended at the hands of law which took him away from the Utopian existence of a Robinhood. Still, it was not a tragic hero that we get from him but one who accepts life as it is.