The Vanishing Corporal [Le Caporal épinglé] [The Elusive Corporal] **** (1962, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Claude Brasseur, Claude Rich, Jean Carmet, O E Hasse) – Classic Movie Review 8988

Director Jean Renoir’s 1962 French wartime comedy drama The Vanishing Corporal [Le Caporal épinglé] [The Elusive Corporal] stars Jean-Pierre Cassel as a Parisian corporal, who is captured by the invading Germans and, along with two of his men, makes many attempted escapes from a prison-of-war camp in Germany in 1940.

Renoir’s minor classic about an escape-prone soldier in World War Two comes from his last period of film-making. His touch is light and compassionate, and Cassel’s performance exactly suits the film’s dry, comic tone.

Renoir tries to revisit his concerns in his classic 1937 La Grande Illusion – and largely succeeds. But, though Le Caporal épinglé is a fine achievement, it does not quite repeat its predecessor’s triumph.

Georges Leclerc’s black and white cinematography is distinguished, and so are the character actor performances.

The screenplay is written by Jean Renoir (adaptation and dialogue) and Guy Lefranc (adaptation), based on Jacques Perret’s novel.

Also in the cast are Claude Brasseur, Claude Rich, Jean Carmet, O E Hasse, Jacques Jouanneau, Guy Bedos, Cornelia Froboess and Mario David.

The Vanishing Corporal [Le Caporal épinglé] [The Elusive Corporal] is directed by Jean Renoir, runs 95 minutes, is made by Les Films du Cyclope and Omnia Films, is released by Pathé Consortium Cinéma (1962) (France) and Union Film Distributors Inc (1963) (US), is written by Jean Renoir (adaptation and dialogue) and Guy Lefranc (adaptation), based on Jacques Perret’s novel, is shot in black and white by Georges Leclerc, is produced by J W Beyer (general manager) and Roland Girard, and is scored by Joseph Kosma, with Production Design by Wolf Witzemann.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8988

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com