Disgruntled workers speak same language
What could workers in France, land of the 35-hour workweek and seemingly endless vacations, possibly complain about?
Judging by the French adaptation of the British comedy “The Office,” pretty much the same things as their English counterparts: a lunatic boss, exasperating co-workers and general boredom.
“Le Bureau,” which premiered two weeks ago on Canal Plus, is the first time that the BBC comedy (which also spawned an American version on NBC) has been translated into a different language.
While plot lines and much of the dialogue survive, cultural references have been adapted to the Gallic context.
Gone are the quintessentially British allusions to pints of beer, replaced by talk of the occasional bottle of Champagne. Cheese is another new French tweak.
“Le Bureau” also downplays the original’s treatment of sexual harassment, which was a recurring theme.
The reason? “In France, we don’t think of it as harassment but rather something quite nice,” said Nicolas, who co-wrote the French adaptation. He and his partner, Bruno, go by their first names only.
Wernham Hogg, the fictitious paper-supply company that, in NBC’s version, is called Dunder Mifflin and based in Scranton, Pa., becomes Cogirep in “Le Bureau.”
Veteran actor Francois Berleand plays Gilles Triquet, the Gallic incarnation of David Brent, the British “boss from hell.”
A closet bigot, Triquet can’t resist stereotyping black and Arab employees. In the first episode, he calls Laetitia, the receptionist of North African origin, “the warmth of the Orient, the spice route, the snake charmer.”
Through Triquet’s cringe-worthy remarks, the French writers sought to deliberately poke fun at the racism corroding France’s egalitarian principles. As “Le Bureau” highlights, racial minorities often have a tougher time finding jobs and housing than whites.
“We just tried to show things as they are, without sugarcoating anything,” Bruno said.
The main plot of “The Office” -- a debate over whether to downsize -- required no tweaking. Office closures are a French fact of life, with high labor costs prompting firms to shift jobs abroad and unemployment rates averaging more than 9%.
Nicolas and Bruno maintained the original’s mockumentary feel -- with wildly pitching hand-held camerawork and one-on-one character interviews.
Shunning a studio set, they shot “Le Bureau” in a real office building in the depressed Parisian suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois, where last year’s riots started. (During a shoot, youths torched a nearby car dealership.)
Whiling away time in front of a computer screen was novel for the actors, many of whom had never set foot in an office. But a handful of real white-collar workers, who play minor characters and extras, showed them the ropes. A second French season is already in the works -- and the writer-director duo say at least one show will focus on a French perennial: strikes.