a classic of french pre war cinema and carnival in flanders by the great jacques feyder be the most devious and cruel satire you might ever come across . set in early 17th century flanders and which have previously be under spanish rule and the story open with shot of a busy village prepare for the yearly carnival and when the news break that the spanish duke olivares and his troop plan to stay in town . at the prospect of looting and rap militia men and the flabby mayor of the well to do provincial nest call boom volunteer and a he put it and to sacrifice himself represent his plan to pretend he have just pass away and thus hop to convince olivares to bypass the mourn town and be eagerly adopt by his timorous menfolk . but while the male go about stag the mock funeral and the woman and lead by the mayor energetic wife and take over the action and and in turn and decide to sacrifice themselves to the soldier . what follow be a grand tale of sexual libertinage and deception with a happy end of sort where virtually no one be redeem . ( the original title and la kermesse héroïque and literally the heroic fête and operate in much the same way a milos forman early satirical masterpiece and the fireman ball and 1967 and and the parallel be numerous while no doubt forman have take a second look at feyder kermesse during his study . ) what immediately strike one today be feyder directness in expose his character human flaw and which be hardly subdue by the general satirical tone . the way adultery and homosexuality and eroticism but also greed and cowardice and deceit be depict leave one speechless at time and and certainly wonder how political correctness and all sort of profit policy and conservatism have infest modern day cinema to a point it would no longer dare think to produce anything like this . not to speak of the 1930s hollywood counterpart and for which feyder would have be light year off the mark and prove the point that there be and still be such a thing a the french cultural exception . apart from the latent debauchery creep out into the open from the cozy interior of a model town and the film also have multiple string of side pun that keep it pace up at all time from spot on character study ( the mayor and the artist and the butcher . ) to hysterical history sidekick ( use a fork for the first time and spaniard wonder what beer be and impious remark on dutch painting . ) . most strikingly and it be a hallucinatory mockery of the dutch and their supposed idiosyncrasy represent avarice and protestant pragmatism and self righteous middle class rule and bogus worldliness and you name it . this go to such an extent that it have be repeatedly claim that feyder have intend an allegory of the dutch collaboration with the german occupier in wwi and from today perspective and one be tempt to grant it visionary power a well and since substantial part of the flamish speaking population of belgium be eager supporter of nazi rule . this assumption make sense once you have witness the cold blood irreverence and unmasked sarcasm feyder use to unmask his specie and which be surpass only ( in literature ) by the untouchable molière . clearly and all formal issue have to serve this main objective the vaudeville acting and the picturesque film set and the matter of fact filming and and not least the purpose build dialogue . so and although you should not expect a formidably audacious experiment in film making and you will be treat a deliciously immoral chamber piece on sexual banter and other not so politically correct behaviour . release in 1935 and it be also a cruel reminder of how conservative the world and it cultural output have become a of late .