Today the film “The Other Bovary” was released on the big screens. We talked about this work with Fabrice Luchini, co-star and favorite actor of director Claude Lelouch. A good addition to my own experience.
Psychologies: This is your second work with director Anne Fontaine.
Fabris Lukini: And every time she chooses amazing partners for me: this time the extraordinary Gemma Arterton. Ann is a very original director, there is absolutely no pomposity in her. It seems to me that it is precisely because of this ease and unwillingness to control everything that the Other Bovary became her best film.
What was your first reaction when you read the script?
F. L .: I liked its uniqueness. It was not an illustration of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, but an interweaving between the novel and modernity. Flaubert’s “smuggling” has turned out: the classical text adapts to another life and begins to live in it. This film is the exact opposite of the film adaptation of Madame Bovary directed by Claude Chabrol.
It turned out almost a detective …
F. L .: Exactly. The viewer is invited to watch the progress of the police investigation about beauty, power and spirit. It is fascinating that my character, the baker Joubert, is watching with his own eyes how the action unfolds. The viewer is not looking for references to Flaubert in the film, he lives it.
Read more:
- Anne Fontaine: “The relationship between fiction, fate and reality is fascinating”
The first scene, in which Gemma enters the bakery and is delighted with the variety of breads, is simply incredible.
F. L .: Her genuine pleasure makes this scene sublime. As soon as she enters the store, we are transported to another world – the world of Stendhal. Remember his words? “What is beauty? This is the promise of happiness.” This woman who enters the bakery is the promise of happiness.
And the baker instantly falls in love with her…
F. L .: He accidentally meets her on a walk when she is picking flowers. They chat about something, she waves goodbye to him, and it is clear that Martin is not interested in her. What not to say about Martin. He understands perfectly well that his peace is coming to an end.
This is clearly seen when he explains to her how to knead the dough for bread …
F. L .: My approach is a kind of “non-thinking”: don’t try to fully understand the character right away. The less you care about it, the more flexible you remain – like bread dough in the hands of a director. This is fundamentally different from working in the theater. The cinema needs a certain happy stupidity, it is interesting.
How did you prepare for the role of Martin?
F. L .: Anne Fontaine wanted me to work at the bakery. I thought: “That’s right according to Stanislavsky!” And refused. One horse specialist I worked with on set once told me: “As soon as a person gets into the saddle, horses immediately understand whether he is a good rider or not. If the rider is bad, they determine for themselves the exact moment when to throw him off. I sincerely hope that I managed to make the audience believe that I am a good baker.
Gemma Arterton really shines as Gemma.
F. L .: This is a very sophisticated girl, an extraordinary actress. It has the flawlessness and special talent inherent in British actors. For two months we talked a little, but we understood each other perfectly. As soon as we heard “Motor!”, an intuitive understanding, love and respect were established between us.
Gustave Flaubert often ridiculed the bourgeoisie. And in “The Other Bovary” goes to wealthy Englishmen who emigrated to Normandy…
F. L .: You are right: rich English people are really ridiculed. But returning to Flaubert and his vision of the bourgeoisie: he only shows what he sees, he is fascinated by stupidity. But we do not know what he really thinks, and in this sense he is a unique writer: his credo is not to write about himself. He tirelessly repeats this in his letters: “The main thing is not to write about yourself. One must be present in the work, as God is in his creations. Live in them all the time, but not be noticeable. This is a common feature of great writers – they go beyond private life, they write in general. For them, everything that is connected with private life seems low and uninteresting.