I've made the point before that Marcel Carne might be my favorite French director, but also softened my stance by saying I don't know how passionately I would make that argument. However, I can also say that I've liked every Marcel Carne film that I've ever seen, including this morning's re-watch, his 1946 film The Gates of the Night. Apparently it wasn't a popular film when it came out right after World War II, but history has been much kinder to it, and now it's rightly considered a classic. Everything takes place in one night, focusing on the new and tragic love affair between Jean Diego (Yves Montand in his breakout role) and Malou (Nathalie Nattier). Considering the year, it's not particularly surprising that the war casts its shadow over the entire film, including certain Frenchmen who had collaborated with the Germans. I recognized Julien Carette, who played Monsieur Quinquina, but is better known for his roles in Jean Renoir's The Grand Illusion, The Human Beast, and The Rules of the Game. Jean Vilar as Le chochard, essentially playing fate, was especially good (and I'm stealing one of his speeches for my chapter on dreams and visions in the epics). Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment