Le Combat dans l'Île

WILD REEDS Trintignant skulks through the grass.

Another forgotten classic from the French New Wave, Cavalier’s first feature combines noir stylings and a jazzy beat with a searing political subtext, undoubtedly influenced by the war in Algeria. Clément (Trintignant) belongs to a right-wing French terrorist sect; during a mission, he leaves his wife (Schneider) with a friend (Serre). The latter’s disloyalty doesn’t sit well with a man devoted to the party line, and Le Combat dans l’Île ends as a more conventional love triangle than it begins. Still, historically, politically and visually, it remains arresting throughout.

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