DRIVING MADELEINE/ UNE BELLE COURSE

France, 2022, 91 minutes, Colour.

Line Renaud, Dany Boon, Alice Isaaz, Jeremie Laheurte.

Directed by Christian Carion.

An unanticipated joyful entertainment.

There have been two Oscar-winning films about chauffeurs and passengers, Driving Miss Daisy, The Green Room, the interactions between passenger and driver, bonding and transforming consequences. The English title draws on Driving Miss Daisy. There can be a variety of translations of the French title, A Lovely Ride, one suggesting A Great Race. However, given the interactions between the two characters and their self-revelations, one might translate as A Good Run (a good/beautiful run through life, and engaging run for your money).

This is a brief film, 90 minutes – but audiences might have welcomed even more.

This is a film of Paris, the audience sharing the taxi ride with Madeleine and Charles, seeing some of the famous sites, but spending the time driving through the various neighbourhoods, looking, absorbing atmosphere, an enjoyable taxi trip. We are first introduced to the driver, Charles, Dany Boon, the subtitles referring to him as a “jerk”. And this is what he seems to be, grumpy, being told which route to go and ignoring it, angry phone calls to his brother, in danger of losing his taxi license with police points against him. He agrees to a request that takes him right across Paris to drive an elderly lady.

The elderly lady is Madeleine, her character age 92, the actress Line Renaud much the same age in this performance, Line Renaud being a very popular French singer since the 1950s. What is going to happen? Charles has to drive her to an aged care home because she has had a fall and is unable to stay in her house.

This seems rather ordinary but, just as he listens to Madeleine and her chatting, her questions, Charles becomes beguiled by her. So do we. And more rapidly than Charles does. Madeleine is most engaging, pleasant, getting Charles to listen, to speak a little, to smile. But, importantly for Madeleine, she is able to tell Charles something of her life story – and we see it in flashbacks. In fact, as we see her story we are reminded of key elements of 20^th century history, France in World War II, American liberation, relationships with American GIs, children, marriage, domestic violence, courts and prisons, the Vietnam war… AliceIsaaz plays the young Madeline, a blend of the very charming, experiencing domestic violence, but a loving personality towards her son.

And, as the couple spend the day, Madeleine wanting to visit a plaque commemorating the death of her father at the hands of the Nazis, sitting on a bench near the river, looking across to the courts, reminiscing, Charles becoming, as we are, absorbed by Madeleine’s story and her personality. Of course, Madeleine is able to elicit from Charles something of his story, age 46 (half her age, she observes, could be her grandson – and in the delightful scene, she plays on this in saving Charles from the gendarmes who want to give him a ticket for crashing a red light). There are no flashbacks to Charles’ story, just his telling something of his story.

The trip across Paris has to come to an end but Charles delays it, taking Madeleine to a plush restaurant for a final meal, delivering her to the door, and some sad farewells. Sensitive direction by Christian Carion (Joyeux Noel, the moving World War I drama).

We can guess something of the ending but it is a pleasure to experience it – but, not without tears, Charles’ tears and, our tears. Here is a wonderful happy-sad ending to the drive. And, wait for the final credits where there is a lovely reminiscence and dance sequence, Paris, 1944.

1. The title, the focus on Madeline, on Charles as her taxi driver? The French title, translation, A Lovely Ride, or A Good Run?
2. The Paris settings, the city, the landmarks, driving through all the districts, a taxi ride through Paris? The musical score? The English-language songs, Sunny Side of the Street, At Last?
3. The situation, ordinary, yet moving beyond the ordinary, to people, listening, bonding, consequences?
4. The structure of the film: the introduction to Charles, his taxi, calling himself a jerk, clashes with his brother, the relationship with his wife, tensions, her being a nurse, love for his daughter, Betty? Points against him and his driving, the possibility of losing the taxi? The passenger, directing him, his ignoring the directions? The call, the request for Madeleine? His seeming reluctance, going, ringing the bell, impatience?
5. Madeleine, waiting on the footpath, approaching the taxi, initial interactions with Charles? Her being chatty, his silence, touch of the morose, her telling her age, 92? Asking his age, 46?
6. Line Renaud as Madeleine, being in her 90s for this performance, her career, Singer? In this role? Age, appearance, clothes? Her talking, engaging Charles, the flashbacks to her life? Her age, her mother, the clerk with her father executed by the Nazis? 16, the war, the Americans, the encounter with Matt? The three happiest months of her life? Her pregnancy? His going back to America, the later writing, his being married with two children, her stopping contact? Yet the vividness of her memories, the kisses? Moving on to the 1950s, looking after her son, working with her mother in the theatre? Marriage to Ray? His reactions to her, the criticisms of her son, bastard? Hitting Madeleine? The scenes at home, Madeline’s final exasperation, the injuries, dressing up, sending her son to her mother, the phenobarbital in his drink, his being a welder, her physical attack on him?
7. Madeleine, arrested, telling the story to Charles, rousing his interest, his gradual response, listening, smiling? The trial, the 1950s, women’s and their lack of rights, 25 year sentence, Ray giving testimony in court, lying? Madeleine and her 13 years in prison, release, her son grown up, her ambitions for him to be a lawyer, his being a photographer, his room, the photos, his leaving fear for Vietnam, her being hurt, his statement that he was in prison while she was in prison, all the local comments about his being her son? The support of her mother? The news from Vietnam, his death after six months? The coffin, the public celebration, Ray turning up to be in the photos, Madeleine asking for a closed ceremony, alone with her son?
8. The story not explaining the rest of Madeleine’s life, living so long, the attempted suicide and failure? Later, seeing the photos, her protesting for women’s rights against domestic violence?
9. Audience response to Madeleine, Line Renaud’s performance and presence, engaging, gentle, tough, humour, Charles going through thread light, Madeleine charming the police officer, the story about her grandson and her physical condition, saving his licence? Sitting on the seats and watching the crowd, buying the ice cream, going to visit her father’s monument, looking across the court? The audience engaged with Madeleine?
10. Sharing Charles’ response, his gradual mellowing, liking Madeleine, sharing the day, listening to the stories, going through the red light, his desperation, Madeleine saving him? Sharing the ice cream, looking at the sights? Phone calls to his brother, antagonism? His wife? And the stories about his love for his daughter, taking to see the sights of Paris and her blue eyes glowing?
11. The institution, the phone call, wanting Madeleine? The delay for two hours, going to the restaurant, enjoying the meal? Arriving at the aged care home, the reactions, Madeleine not wanting to sit in the wheelchair? The farewell?
12. Charles, talking with his wife, wanting her to meet Madeleine, her hesitation? The issue of the non-payment of the taxi fare? The couple going, the news of Madeleine’s death, Charles going to her room, weeping, his wife’s response? The family going to the cemetery? The lawyer, the letter from Madeleine, selling her house, the cheque for Charles?
13. Happy ending, yet tears? The audience sharing Charles response to Madeleine?
14. The end credits, Madeleine dancing with Matt, love, the tenderness, the song, At Last some by Etta James?