Told in the span of a year from 1942 to 1943 in Vichy France during World War II, the film follows the lives of a few individuals who are involved in the French Resistance as they deal with fighting and scheming against Nazi Germany while also making uneasy decisions. It is a film that explore a few key individuals who are part of this resistance against the Nazis as they all have to make uneasy decisions as it would involving having to kill those who become a liability in exposing the Resistance. Jean-Pierre Melville’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative yet it has strands of characters it follow with a Resistance leader in Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) who is first seen arriving at a prison camp where he is later transferred to the Gestapo only to escape as he runs a network with longtime friend Felix Lepercq (Paul Crauchet), a burly veteran in Guillaume Vermesch aka Le Bison (Christian Barbier), and a young recruit in Claude Ullmann aka the Mask (Claude Mann). The first act is about Gerbier’s brief time in prison, his escape, and also uncovering a traitor prompting him to take action.
The second act is about an unexpected meeting between Lepercq and a former pilot in Jean-Francois Jardie (Jean-Pierre Cassel) whose older brother is the philosopher Luc Jardie (Paul Meurisse) whom Gerbier admires. Jean-Francois would also gain the support of a woman in Mathilde (Simone Signoret) who would become part of Gerbier’s network and later run things during the third act when Gerbier is captured. Still, there are a lot of complexities in the film’s second half about the demands of being in the Resistance but also the fact that someone can’t carry any sentimental value as it would have them link to family who might know something or be used as blackmail. Even as a few would be captured and endure brutal torment by the Nazis as it play into how dangerous things were during Nazi Germany’s occupation of France.
Melville’s direction is entrancing in its presentation as it is shot on various locations in France including parts of Paris including a shot of the Arc de Triomphe where Nazi soldiers are marching in the foreground with the Arc in the background. Melville’s direction definitely emphasizes less on many of Paris’ familiar sites in order to create an atmosphere of a world that is bleak and intense. Melville’s usage of the wide and medium shots do play into the world that is Vichy France where there is a lot of attention to detail in the prison camps, the prison cells, and other places as location is key to the film. Notably in the scene where Gerbier first escapes and then hides at a barbershop where a barber (Serge Reggiani) would help him as it helps set a tone for some of the moments of suspense. One of which include Gerbier trying to get aboard a British submarine to meet with British officials in aiding the Resistance as well as the return back on plane where they had to endure anti-aircraft attacks. There are also these elements in the direction such as a scene where Jean-Francois is stepping out on a train as he is carrying something important to the Resistance as he has to find a way to pass the Nazi guards.
Melville also maintains some offbeat elements such as Gerbier in London where he finds himself in a dancehall where British military personnel are dancing while bombs are falling around them as well as a scene in a prison where the Nazis give the prisoners a chance to survive. There are also these intense moments where Melville would use close-ups as things do intensify in the third act as it relates to not just setbacks and uneasy decisions but also what is at stake for the Resistance. Even as things get personal and an air of uncertainty emerges into who to trust and how the Resistance can move forward. Notably as the climax and its aftermath is about all of the uneasy decisions one have to make during war and the sacrifices they are forced to make to free their own country from the hands of another. Overall, Melville crafts a gripping and intoxicating film about the life of a few individuals working for the French Resistance.
Cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, with additional work from Walter Wottitz, does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting along with soft light for some scenes including its emphasis on grey and blue colors to help set a visual tone for the film. Editor Francoise Bonnot does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of transition wipes, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to help play into the suspense and drama. Art director Theobald Meurisse and set decorator Roger Volper do excellent work with the look of the prison cells, the houses the characters hide out at, and some of the places they go to. Costume designer Madame Colette Baudot does fantastic work with the costume as it does bear some style with the men wearing suits as well as the uniforms the French police and the Nazis wear with Mathilde wearing all sorts of clothes including a nurse’s uniform during an attempted prison break.
The makeup work of Maud Begon is terrific for the way two major characters look following their interrogations with the Nazis in how badly they were beaten by them. Sound designers Jacques Carrere, Alex Pront, and Jean Neni, with sound editing by Robert Pouret, do superb work with the sound in the way gunfire sounds as well as these scenes where it revolves around the location to play into the suspense. The film’s music by Eric Demarsan is incredible for its eerie music score with brooding string arrangements as well as its usage of an organ to help maintain a suspenseful mood as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Adrien Cayla-Legrand as Charles de Gaulle, Nathalie Delon in an un-credited appearance as Jean-Francois’ date at a bar, Anthony Stuart as a Royal Air Force major, Colin Mann as a British pilot who gives Gerbier instructions on his return to France via parachute, Albert Michel as a policeman at a train station, Alain Mottet as a commander at a prison camp, Serge Reggianni as a barber who helps hide Gerbier following his prison escape, Alain Libolt as a young man who is revealed to be a traitor to the Resistance, Jean-Marie Robain as a baron who aids the Resistance in giving them a temporary home base and such, Denis Sadler as a Gestapo doctor, and Andre Dewavrin in a brief appearance as himself in the role of a Resistance colonel. Christian Barbier and Claude Mann are superb in their respective roles as the Bison and the Mask as two members of the Resistance who take part in some of the killings and such with the former being the most loyal including towards Mathilde while the latter is a newer recruit who proves to be resourceful.
Paul Crauchet is fantastic as Felix Lepercq as an older member of the Resistance who is close with Gerbier as he would later be captured by the Nazis and endure some of the most physical brutality in their interrogation methods. Simone Signoret is amazing as Mathilde as a member of the Resistance who helps in organizing things including an attempted prison break for Lepercq as well as other things as she proves to be loyal despite her own faults as it relates to her life at home. Jean-Pierre Cassel is excellent as Jean-Francois Jardie as a former pilot who joins the Resistance while giving Gerbier access to his older brother only to find himself at odds with some of the ideals of the Resistance. Paul Meurisse is brilliant as Luc Jardie as a philosopher who joins the Resistance as he is someone that Gerbier admires while also being someone who has ideas with the Resistance that would alienate some. Finally, there’s Lino Ventura in a phenomenal performance as Philippe Gerbier as a leader of the Resistance who gets captured while trying to maintain his rule as well as keeping the Resistance a secret from the Nazis as well as having to make uneasy decisions knowing what is at stake as it is a restrained yet unsettling performance from Gerbier.
L’Armee des ombres is a magnificent film from Jean-Pierre Melville. Featuring a great ensemble cast, mesmerizing visuals, an eerie music soundtrack, and chilling suspense in its relation to life during World War II in German-occupied France. It is a film that definitely showcases a lot of the actions of the French Resistance as well as why they had to operate in the shadows as well as doing things that others might not want to do in war. In the end, L’Armee des ombres is an outstanding film from Jean-Pierre Melville.
Jean-Pierre Melville: 24 Hours in the Life of a Clown – Le silence de la mer - Les enfants terribles - (Quand tu liras cette letter) - Bob le flambeur - (Two Men in Manhattan) – (Leon Morin, Priest) – (Le Doulos) – Magnet of Doom - Le deuxime souffle - Le Samourai - Le cercle rouge - (Un flic)
© thevoid99 2022
Based on the novel by Jose Giovanni, Le deuxieme soufflé is the story of an escaped criminal who chooses to embark on one final job while being pursued by a police inspector. Written for the screen and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, the film is the study of a man trying to escape the world of crime only to be pulled back in as he is also aware that an inspector is looking for him. Starring Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Raymond Pellegrin, Christine Fabrega, and Pierre Zimmer. Le deuxieme soufflé is a riveting and evocative film from Jean-Pierre Melville.
The film follows a revered criminal who escapes prison as he hides from the authorities where he is given a job offer to steal platinum bars for a crime boss and in return can retire. That is pretty much the film’s plot as a whole yet there is so much that happens as it play into the ideas of loyalty and intrigue where this criminal is also being pursued by this police inspector who knows what the man is up to. Jean-Pierre Melville’s screenplay opens with Gustave “Gu” Minda (Lino Ventura) making his escape with two other men as he is given some money and a place to hide but also wants to see his sister Manouche (Christine Fabrega) and her loyal bodyguard Alban (Michel Constantin) who would help out though they’re aware that several people are trying to find Gu including the famed police inspector in Blot (Paul Meurisse).
The film’s script does play into this cat-and-mouse game that Blot and Gu are playing with the former trying to figure out what Gu is doing with the latter accepting this job from the crime boss Paul Ricci (Raymond Pellegrin) with three other men to steal a shipment of platinum bars. Yet, Melville is aware that everything leads up to this heist in the middle of the film but it’s the aftermath that is more interesting. Notably into the idea of loyalty and honor which is something Gu holds dearly as he and the team of men in the heist already have plans to split the take five-ways but something goes wrong early in the third act when Gu is suddenly arrested by another police inspector in Fardiano (Paul Frankeur) who would trick Gu into unveiling information. For Blot, he sees Fardiano’s methods as inhumane leading to more trouble with Gu becoming a big target for all involved.
Melville’s direction is definitely rapturous in the way he creates this world of the French criminal underworld as it is shot partially in Paris and Marseilles with many of the interiors shot in a studio set in Paris. Yet, it opens with this escape scene where Gu and two men look out for guards as they climb over the walls and later ride a train. Melville’s usage of wide shots play into the location including the film’s big heist scene at the mountain roads. The attention to detail that Melville puts in where the characters are at and where to be positioned for the heist show that idea of professionalism of what it takes for a heist to succeed. It’s among the big sequences that Melville has made in a film that is largely intimate in the way characters deal or interact with each other in the usage of close-ups and medium shots. Particularly in the cramped and small apartment that Gu lives in where he would have a dinner with Manouche and hide out there hoping to go to Italy. There are also these entrancing images at the nightclub that the Ricci brothers own that often feature these gorgeous dancers as it play into this world that the Ricci brothers are trying to run and maintain.
Much of the film’s first act has Melville maintain that intimacy and exploration into the criminal underworld as well as establishing Gu’s reputation within the underworld which is why Paul Ricci wants him for the job. When the film reaches its third act, it’s not just about the code of the criminal that gets broken but also the impact of that code being broken. Especially as Gu is someone who doesn’t like to inform on anyone and it is that reputation that is dear to him where he starts to fall apart once he’s being tricked. These moments in the third act where it is clear that something is off prompts one of Gu’s associates in Orloff (Pierre Zimmer) to figure out what to do to prove Gu’s innocence but is also tasked to do something else in case Gu is really guilty. All of which play into this idea of loyalty and honor in the world of crime with Blot trying to pursue Gu and bring him to justice. Overall, Melville crafts an intense yet ravishing film about an escaped criminal doing one final job only for things to go wrong in its aftermath.
Cinematographer Marcel Combes does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography with the usage of low-key lights for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night along with some vibrant natural lighting for some exterior scenes in the daytime. Editors Monique Bonnot and Michele Boehm do amazing work in the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, transition wipes, and fade-outs to help structure the story and play into the suspense. Production designer Jean-Jacques Fabre and set decorator Guy Maguin do excellent work with the look of Gu’s small apartment as well as the club that the Riccis run and the interiors of Manouche’s boathouse.
Costume designer Michel Tellin does fantastic work with the look of the suits the men wear as it does play into the style of film noir and gangster films as well as the lavish dresses that Manouche wears. Sound mixer Alex Pront does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations with some heightened sounds in the mixing for some places along with the film’s big heist sequence. The film’s music by Bernard Gerard is incredible for its jazz-based score that play into the liveliness of the film as well as the underworld and in some intense moments in the film.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Pierre Grasset and Denis Manuel as a couple of criminals who took part in the heist as they later want to kill Gu for breaking the code, Michel Constantin as Manouche’s bodyguard Alban who is also a former marksman, Marcel Bozzuffi as Paul’s brother Jo who wants Gu dead, and Paul Frankeur in a terrific performance as the corrupt police inspector Fardiano who would use dirty tactics to capture Gu. Pierre Zimmer is superb as Gu’s friend Orloff as a man who acts as a middle-man for Gu and Paul Ricci as he is a no-nonsense man that makes sure things go well while he becomes suspicious of Jo’s intentions later in the film. Christine Fabrega is excellent as Gu’s sister Manouche as a woman who has money and is willing to help out her brother while trying to evade questions from Blot. Raymond Pellegrin is fantastic as Paul Ricci as a crime boss who wants Gu to do a heist for him as he is also willing to give Gu the chance to leave the life of crime until things go wrong in the aftermath.
Paul Meurisse is incredible as Inspector Blot as a no-nonsense police inspector who is eager to capture Gu while wanting to ensure that Gu is brought to justice without any harm as he’s a man that also plays by a code and honor as he knows that some in the police can’t be relied on. Finally, there’s Lino Ventura in a phenomenal performance as Gusatve “Gu” Minda as this criminal who lives by a code of honor among thieves where he does his job and keeps his mouth shut where he would escape and get a chance to do a final job. It’s a performance that has Ventura be cool and not show much emotion except in the third act when he’s being accused of being a rat which pisses him off big time as it is a must-see performance from Ventura.
Le deuxieme soufflé is a tremendous film from Jean-Pierre Melville that include great performances from Lino Ventura and Paul Meurisse. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, playful score, and themes of honor and ideals in the world of crime. It’s a film that play into men planning a heist only for things to go wrong in its aftermath as it showcases not just the fallacies of loyalty but also in the fact that there’s no one to trust in the world of crime. In the end, Le deuxieme soufflé is a spectacular film from Jean-Pierre Melville.
Jean-Pierre Melville: 24 Hours in the Life of a Clown – Le silence de la mer - Les enfants terribles - (Quand tu liras cette letter) - Bob le flambeur - (Two Men in Manhattan) – (Leon Morin, Priest) – (Le Doulos) – Magnet of Doom – Le Samourai - Army of Shadows – Le cercle rouge - (Un flic)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel Celle qui n’etait plus (She Who Was No More) by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, Les Diaboliques is the story about a woman and her husband’s mistress conspiring to kill the man where strange things happen when his body suddenly disappears. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and screenplay by Clouzot and Jerome Geronimi that also features additional contributions by Rene Masson and Frederic Grendel, the film is an exploration of murder and its aftermath where guilt and such start to unfold. Starring Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, and Charles Vanel. Les Diaboliques is a chilling suspense film from Henri-Georges Clouzot.
At an all-boy’s school in France, the frail Christina Delassalle (Vera Clouzot) is dealing with her cruel husband Michel (Paul Meurisse) who is the school’s headmaster. Michel also has a mistress in the teacher Nicole Horner (Simone Signoret) as their affair is quite known with the staff as Christina also knows about it. Yet, the affair is taking on a downward turn as Nicole and Christina conspire to get rid of Michel over his cruelty towards everyone including the students as the two women go away for the weekend at Nicole’s apartment in another town. Michel plans to make a visit after learning that Christina wants to divorce as he confronts her at Nicole’s apartment where he drinks the wine that Nicole has poisoned. After Nicole drowns him in a tub, the two put the body in a drunk as she and Christina drive back to the school as they dump in the school’s dirty pool.
Continuing their work as teachers, Christina and Nicole notice something is going on when the school’s gamekeeper Plantiveau (Jean Brochard) has been cleaning the school’s pool. After draining it, Christina and Nicole notice the body is missing where Christina begins to panic and feel guilty over what happened. When Nicole reads a newspaper report about a body being found at the Seine River, Christina goes to the morgue to identify the body where she meets a retired private detective named Alfred Vichet (Charles Vanel) who is intrigued by her story as she wants to find her husband. Alfred decides to help Christina after a claim from a boy abut seeing Michel as she and Nicole wonder if Michel is really alive after Nicole sees a picture. After Nicole decides to leave the school with Christina ailing from her heart condition, Vichet makes a visit with some notes he made as Christina deals with all of the guilt she faces as well as a major surprise.
The film is essentially a psychological thriller that revolves around two women who want to kill a cruel man and get rid of his body only for something to go wrong when the body suddenly disappears. This leads to all sorts of issues for the two women as the wife becomes fraught with guilt and paranoia as she also has a weak heart condition. For her husband’s mistress, she’s the one trying to control the situation only to realize that the disappearance of the body and the possible appearance of this man is beyond her control as a former private detective starts to get involved. This would lead to all sorts of questions and everything as it leads to some harsh revelations about this man and everything else.
The screenplay does a great job in building up the element of suspense by taking things slow by establishing the relationships between Christina, Nicole, and Michel as where it’s an uneasy love triangle that has Michel being cruel to everyone. He’s much harsher to the very ill Christina who wants out of the marriage as she teams up with Nicole to get rid of Michel any way they can. The first half is about the planning to kill Michel and the murder while the second half is about his body disappearing as well as Christina’s guilt as she turns to Vichet for help that would eventually complicate everything. Vichet is the film’s wild card as he would definitely steer things in the third act that would unveil lots of things along with some of the revelations that occur.
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in terms of the compositions he creates as well as his approach to suspense. Particularly in taking the time to establish the characters and the situations that would drive Nicole and Christina to make plans to kill Michel. Through some very stylish scenes of the two women riding in a truck that would later carry the body as well as some very straightforward but ominous framing to display the sense of terror that might happen. Clouzot also takes the time to shoot certain objects in order to maintain this unsettling atmosphere where his camera would gaze at the pool or something to see if there is something out there.
Clouzot’s direction also becomes much more brooding as the film reaches the second act through these very strange moments such as the mysterious person in the picture as well as a boy’s claim he saw Michel. Even as Clouzot becomes much more atmospheric in his approach to scenery such as Nicole’s walk towards the darkened hallway or Christina’s walk towards the building to see what is out there. This would lead to some startling reveals and scary moments that really makes the suspense payoff along with more ambiguities that are followed towards the end of the film. Overall, Clouzot creates a very fascinating yet hypnotic suspense film that explores the world of murder and guilt.
Cinematographer Armand Thiraud does amazing work with the film‘s stylish black-and-white photography for some of the film‘s nighttime interiors to help set a mood for the scene and help play out its suspense. Editor Madeleine Gug does brilliant work in creating methodical cuts to build up the film‘s suspense as well as some stylish rhythmic cuts for the suspenseful payoffs. Art director Leon Barsacq does excellent work in the look of the school building the characters live and surround themselves in as well as the apartment that Nicole lives in.
The sound work of William-Robert Sivel is terrific for the low-key atmosphere it creates such as the scene in the apartment where Nicole and Christina try to kill Michel as well as some tense moments involving the students during dinner time. The film’s music by Georges Van Parys is wonderful as it is mostly orchestral-based music that only plays at the film’s opening and closing credits of the film.
The film’s ensemble cast is superb as it features some noteworthy small roles from Noel Roquevert and Therese Dorny as Nicole’s neighbors at the apartment building, Pierre Larquey and Michel Serrault as fellow teachers at the school, and Jean Brochard as the gamekeeper Plantiveau. Charles Vanel is great in a small yet crucial role as the private detective Alfred Fichet as he is intrigued by Christina’s desperation as he would piece all of the puzzles about what really happened. Paul Meurisse is excellent as the slimy and cruel Michel Delassalle who is such a jerk to everyone including the women in his life as he’s the guy everyone loves to hate.
Vera Clouzet is brilliant as the guilt-ridden Christina as she tries to deal with Michel’s cruelty and the deed that she did as becomes overwhelmed as it would affect her health. Finally, there’s Simone Signoret in a harrowing performance as Nicole Horner as she maintains a restrained yet dark performance as a woman trying to maintain control of the situation while creating an ambiguity to her character.
Les Diaboliques is an incredible thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot that features outstanding performances from Simone Signoret and Vera Clouzot. The film is truly a suspense film that doesn’t play to conventions nor does it try to cheat its audience by having them invested in the mystery. It’s also a film that explores the world of guilt and paranoia in the aftermath of committing a crime as well as maintaining that air of mystery of is this guy really dead or not? In the end, Les Diaboliques is a haunting yet enthralling film from Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Henri-Georges Clouzot Films: (Caprice de Princesse) - (Tour pour l’amour) - (The Murderer Lives at Number 21) - (Le Corbeau) - (Quai des orfevres) - (Manon) - (Miquette et sa mere) - The Wages of Fear - (Les Espions) - (La Verite) - (Grands chef d’orchestre) - (La Prisonniere)
Related: Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
© thevoid99 2012
