[Marxism] Alan Furst comment

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

I wrote to Alan Furst asking if the character Jean Casson in "Red Gold," a
French film director who joins the resistance, was based on either of the
main characters in Bernard Tavernier's "Safe Conduct". His reply is
followed by a change I made to my review of the film based on his feedback.

Dear Louis, Thanks for writing and thanks for the kind words. The character
of Jean Casson was (faintly) suggested by Marcel Carne, and Citrine
(faintly) by Arletty. That's true in all the books--Ilya Ehrenburg as Andre
Szara in Dark Star--but I use only a very general idea, and after that
they're just characters in novels. All best, Alan

===

Last January I reviewed Alan Furst's "Red Gold" for swans.com:
<http://www.swans.com/library/art10/lproy11.html>http://www.swans.com/library/art10/lproy11.html.
The main character in this very fine novel was one Jean Casson, a French
film director who joins the Resistance. Recently I learned from Furst that
his character is based on the director Marcel Carne, who while not included
in the Tavernier film, clearly shared the values of the main characters.

A Nov. 1, 1996 NY Times obituary on the 90-year-old Carne reported that he
refused to make propaganda films for the Germans and insisted that French
audiences would regard his 1942 "Les Visiteurs du Soir" as an allegory for
an occupied France. With backing from Continental Productions, Carne then
began shooting "Les Enfants du Paradis" in 1943, but the Allied invasion
interfered with the production. Carne concealed the Jewish origins of his
set designer Alexander Trauner and composer Joseph Kosma from the Nazis.
After French cops working for the Gestapo arrested a French extra during
shooting, the man--like Dubuis--was never seen again. Carne said, "I will
relive that scene for the rest of my days."



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