Antoine and Antoinette
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This review is a part of the Palme d’Or Project: a review of every single Palme d’Or winner at Cannes Film Festival. This is a Grand Prix winner: what the Palme d’Or was originally called before 1955. Antoine and Antoinette won for the 1947 festival as one of five honourees in different categories: the only year that Cannes did this. This film won specifically for Best Psychological and Love Film.
The film was selected by the following jury.
Jury President: Georges Huisman.
Jury: Raymond Borderie, Georges Carrier, Jean-François Chosson, Joseph Dotti, Escoute, Jean Grémillon, Maurice Hille, Robert Hupert, Alexandre Kamenka, Jean Mineur, Henri Moret, Jean Nery, Maurice Perisset, Georges Raguis, René Jeanne, Georges Rollin, Régis Roubin, Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon, Segalon, René Sylviano.
You're not likely to see many straight up comedies (or even typical comedy dramas) win the top prize at Cannes. Then again, this was the only year where the Grand Prix was separated into actual categories, with a feature film winning each major award. Jacques Becker's Antoine and Antoinette won for the romantic film category, but it is also considerably lighter than the films you'd usually see even nominated for the Palme d'Or (what the Grand Prix of old would become). This tale of fates and fortunes circles around comeuppance and that of which isn't earned. Life can be tough, but people definitely make things harder for themselves sometimes. That is the case for the eponymous duo: those on hard times that are destined to squander the one opportunity they have to succeed.
Antoine and Antoinette are a couple that stick by each other during thick and thin, but they are starting to get on each other's nerves a little bit (especially Antoine being annoyed with the men that are infatuated with Antoinette). Antoinette herself isn't fond of this attention, either. Still, this leaves Antoine choosing to act irrationally, and this comes into play as the film progresses, especially in favour of the couple. Becker's motion picture has a cautionary tale within it: don't take things for granted. It's short, sweet, and funny enough to take some serious matters and make them feel like whoopsies for the audience to laugh at. Despite the bigger picture here, Antoine and Antoinette is still inviting and light on the surface.
It’s rare for a comedy of any sort to win the top prize at Cannes, but the 1947 ceremony uniquely had various Best Picture categories, allowing a film like Antoine and Antoinette to be a winner.
Part of this appeal may have to do with when the film was made, and who it was trying to cater to: those that have made it through World War II. This paints a world recovering from one of its biggest hits, but in a comedic way: how can two people squander their way out of misery while everyone else is in agony and would wish for the same opportunity? Maybe Antoine and Antoinette made more of a splash when it was first released, because it is fine to watch and enjoy, but I don't think anyone will be connecting with it quite as strongly as they may have once upon a time. Still, Antoine and Antoinette is at least a bit of fun to have, and that doesn't take any context or research to appreciate.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.