Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache
Lost WWII Classics of Espionage, Suspense and Murder!
Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache are taut, absorbing dramas of wartime espionage and murder, made in 1944 to aid the war effort. But when British government officials saw Hitchcock's films, they labeled them "inflammatory," shelved them and tried to forget they were ever made. Now, more than 50 years later, Hitchcock fans can rediscover these lost classics.
In 1939, with England just a few months from plunging into World War II, the country's most celebrated filmmaker was on his way to America to join David O. Selznick's company. Alfred Hitchcock had begun his directorial career in 1925. With the advent of sound, he embarked on a series of craftily constructed, excitingly cinematic thrillers that would bring him great fame.
Member Reviews
Worth a look - anjoop
BON VOYAGE and AVENTURE MALGACHE are wartime propaganda shorts directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1944. Shot over the period of a month with minimal budgets, the films lack the usual polish of Hitchcock’s feature work, but make for engaging viewing all the same.
First up is BON VOYAGE, which is about two escaped prisoners-of-war trying to make their way back to England with the help of the French Resistance. At just 26 minutes, this is the shorter and more effective of the two films. The narrative is structured as a frame story, with one of the prisoners-of-war telling his tale, and then an intelligence officer filling in the missing pieces--a technique that keeps interest high throughout. The film gets a little heavy-handed in hammering home its message (as propaganda films are wont to do), but it gets bonus points for not whitewashing the potentially fatal costs taking that message to heart.
Next up is AVENTURE MALGACHE, which tells the true story of a French lawyer in Madagascar, who helps people flee the island in order to help the Resistance, but is imprisoned, only to escape and host the “Madagascar Libre” radio show, which successfully turns the tide of public opinion against the Vichy government and its supporters. In all honesty, the story is too complex for the 31 minute timeframe, and sometimes feels disjointed and incoherent. Unlike BON VOYAGE, this film never saw the light of day back in 1944, as it was rejected by the representatives for the French Resistance, who apparently did not like the way the Resistance was portrayed. As a result of bureaucratic red-tape, the film was not screened until the mid-1990s.
All told, these are nice enough little films, that become more interesting when considered in their historical context. Worth a look.
Member Reviews
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Worth a look - anjoop
BON VOYAGE and AVENTURE MALGACHE are wartime propaganda shorts directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1944. Shot over the period of a month with minimal budgets, the films lack the usual polish of Hitchcock’s feature work, but make for engaging viewing all the same.
First ...