Raymond Bernard

Although Raymond Bernard's (1891-1977) directing career spanned more than four decades (1917-1958), few of his films were ever widely seen outside France. Happily his reputation is likely to be enhanced by this Criterion Collection three-disc set from the company's stripped-down Eclipse Series (minus DVD extras and featuring only slim booklets or liner notes), containing two lavish films that Bernard made during the brief period in the early 1930s when French studios rivaled Hollywood in terms of huge productions. Wooden Crosses (1932) is a fine adaptation of Roland Dorgelès' 1919 novel about World War I trench warfare (often called the French equivalent of All Quiet on the Western Front), featuring actual veterans playing the soldiers, and extended battle sequences remarkable for their time (many were later used in Hollywood films). Even more impressive is the second film: a nearly five-hour version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1934), chronicling the long duel between reformed convict Jean Valjean and the obsessive Inspector Javert. Among the most frequently filmed of all novels, Bernard's version is one of the best adaptations—equal, if not superior, to the Fredric March/Charles Laughton classic of two years later, and far more complete. Bernard was more of a careful craftsman than an exceptional auteur, but both of these films feature flashes of brilliance. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)