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LUCIE AUBRAC Send This Review to a Friend
A strong, suspenseful tale set in France during World War II, "Lucie Aubrac" is said to be based on a true story. Writer-director Claude Berri has turned out a taut drama that seems far-fetched on the surface but is made credible by the solid acting and the tension created.
Daniel Auteuil, first-rate as always, convincingly plays a French resistance fighter who is captured by the German occupiers and condemned to death. His wife Lucie, portrayed by Carole Bouquet, also in the underground, devises an elaborate scheme to engineer his escape. Here's an action picture with a woman as the heroic figure, and Bouquet makes her a tremendously appealing character for whom you can root each dangerous step of the way.
I must confess a special fascination with Bouquet. I have shown Luis Bunuel's "That Obscure Object of Desire" in my film classes many times, so I have watched Bouquet over and over as one of the two actresses playing the same character. She was beautiful when that film was released in 1977 and she is beautiful now, and as good an actress as she was then, she is even better today.
Berri keeps the action spinning and builds to a tingling climax. "Lucie Aubrac" is a compelling, exceptionally worthy and intelligent war film, a fresh reminder of the risks many took in battling the Nazis. A USA Films release.
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