How much credit belongs to filmmaker Louis Delluc or his cinematographers, and how much to the efforts of restoration in recent years, is a question I leave to those with more particular knowledge. One way or another this film looks incredible on a fundamental level - sharp and pristine, popping with a vividness that many of its contemporaries and successors lack. Thus does the production design, costume design, and hair and makeup appear all the more terrific as it greets us, and the stark cinematography all the easier on the eyes. The cast give fine performances of nuance, only occasionally reflecting the more exaggerated facial expressions or body language that we sometimes saw in the silent era, and these too benefit from the crispness of the presentation.
I'm not saying that 'Fièvre' is an essential must-see, and it may well be that this appeals primarily or only to those who are already enamored of the silent era. The sequence in which we've given intertitles to name all the background characters of no import, for example, seems excessive, and likewise the one to follow shortly after in which intertitles identify all the souvenirs that sailors picked up in "exotic" far-off lands. These seem all the more excessive considering how simple the story is at large, and how abbreviated the length. One might also bear in mind outdated language, tinges of racist sensibilities, or echoes of outmoded cultural values - though in fairness this is hardly a matter exclusive to this film, or to the silent era generally. Still, the picture wants only to entertain, and to tell a story, and it does so quite well.
Modest as the narrative is, it's engaging and enjoyable as an old love reconnects with the wife of a barkeep and drama ensues. Modest as the film-making is compared even to other examples from the same timeframe, Delluc nevertheless illustrates swell capability, certainly in his orchestration of scenes and not least with some excellent shot composition. With all this having been said 'Fièvre' may not specifically stand out in any major fashion to be distinguished from among its brethren. All the same, it's well made and satisfying just as it is, with recognizable and admirable care, skill, and intelligence underlying the craftsmanship in every capacity. It isn't necessarily a title one needs to go out of their way to see, but if one does have the chance to watch it's fun and worthwhile on its own merits, and as a small slice of French cultural history from 1921. 'Fièvre' is slight but superb, and earns a solid recommendation.
