Monsieur Vincent
Directed by Maurice Cloche
Written by Jean-Bernard Luc and Jean Anouilh
1947/France
Edition et Diffusion Cinematographique/Office Familial de Documentaire Artistique/Union Generale Cinematographique
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] We cannot better assure our eternal happiness than by living and dying in the service of the poor, in the arms of Providence, and with genuine renouncement of ourselves in order to follow Jesus Christ. – St. Vincent De Paul[/box]
This biopic of St. Vincent DePaul is appropriately reverent yet enlivened by the fire brought to the character by the great Pierre Fresnay.
The setting is France during the first half of the 17th Century. Following a time as priest to the nobility in Paris, Father Vincent resolves to become a servant of the poor and accepts a parish in a poor village. When he arrives, the local aristocracy are in a frenzy that there has been an outbreak of the plague and are living it up locked tight in a mansion. They have locked up the poor woman who has the plague in her house and plan to set the house on fire when she has died. Vincent immediately heads there, discovers the woman did not have the plague but has died of her illness, and rescues her starving daughter. The poorest family in the village is the only one that will take the little girl in.
Vincent’s goodness inspires some of the local elite to provide for the poor and attracts some noblewomen to help with distributing food. But Vincent’s Paris patron soon calls for him, agreeing to provide for many thousands of poor people if he will return. He finds himself at the mercy of the aristocracy, though, and is eventually made pastor to the French galleys by the King, forcing him to witness the suffering of the galley slaves.
Eventually Father Vincent goes back to live among the poor. He establishes a shelter and hospital. Once again, a coterie of noblewomen support his work. But caring for the poor is a smelly, nasty business and the recipients of their generosity are rarely grateful. The noblewomen also are really more interested in organization and in-fighting than they are in helping the poor. Vincent discovers that the best caretakers are poor servant girls from the country.
By the end of his life, Father Vincent established an order of priests devoted to service in poor villages and an order of working nuns, as well several hospitals.
As saintly biographies go, this is refreshingly free of pious preaching. It’s hard not to be inspired with Vincent’s humility and sincere desire to ease the misery of the poor. The principal reason to watch this, however, is Pierre Fresnay’s awesome performance.
Monsieur Vincent received an Honorary Oscar as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States during 1948.
Trailer (no subtitles)
