The Cursed Film Saved by Photographs: Émile Savitry's Images of Carné's Unfinished Masterpiece

A new book by Carole Aurouet, 'Émile Savitry. Un récit photographique', published by Gallimard, recounts the troubled history of Marcel Carné and Jacques Prévert's unfinished film 'La Fleur de l'âge' (originally 'L'Île des enfants perdus'). The project began in 1935 when Prévert visited Belle-Île and was horrified by the conditions at the penal colony for children (opened 1880, closed 1970). A revolt of young girls on September 26, 1936 led to political backlash that buried the initial project. After years of censorship battles, script revisions, and casting difficulties, the cast was finalized on October 6, 1946, and exterior shooting began in spring 1947 on Belle-Île. The film starred Anouk Aimée, Serge Reggiani, Arletty, and Paul Meurisse. However, the production was plagued by disasters: a trained German shepherd dog suffered sudden paralysis and had to be put down; car accidents (including one involving Martine Carol); a suicide attempt by an extra; a drowning; actors refusing to be shaved; a yacht wrecked on rocks; deliberate interference by local fishermen; bad weather; conflicts between Carné and Prévert; and strikes by unpaid technicians. The film was never completed, and the 200 meters of footage shot by Carné were lost. The book features superb photographs by Émile Savitry taken during the shoot, which Sophie Malexis argues allow viewers to mentally reconstruct the film. The text is by Jacques Henric.