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 book by Artur London and Lise London, L’aveu (The Confession) is the real-life story of Artur London who had been abducted, interrogated, and imprisoned during a series of trials by the Soviet Union. Directed by Costa-Gavras and screenplay by Jean Semprun, the film is a political thriller that explore the Soviet Eastern bloc show trials and the troubled journey that London took as he is played by Yves Montand. Also starring Simone Signoret, Gabriele Ferzetti, Michel Vitold, and Jean Bouise. L’aveu is an eerie yet gripping film from Costa-Gavras.
Set from 1951 Czechoslovakia to the day the Soviet Union invaded Prague on August 21, 1968, the film is about Artur London’s arrest for claims that he had betrayed the communist party in his country where he would be abused and interrogated forcing him to confess his actions. Told largely as a flashback where London is telling his story to a couple of journalists in France in 1965, the film’s screenplay by Jean Semprun doesn’t reveal this twist until the beginning of the second act as it’s more about the events that lead to London’s arrest and his time in prison where he is given unconventional methods of torture to confess as he would reveal things where some of it featured some truth as well as time with a man who is revealed to be an American spy. It’s a script that is presented in a very unconventional manner as there’s flashbacks and voice-over dialogue present throughout London’s interrogations and torture as he would tell them to journalists.
The film’s second half would also introduce to the man who would be London’s interrogator in Kohoutek (Gabriele Ferzetti) as he would get answers as it is all part of big public trial for London and several others accused of betrayal. Even as London’s wife Lise (Simone Signoret) is trying to get him out of prison but is conflicted due to wanting to not get in trouble with the communist party as she ends up making a decision that would impact her greatly. The film’s third act is about the trial and its aftermath as well as the 11 who would be executed including the man that gave London and 12 other colleagues in trouble with the Soviet Union.
Costa-Gavras’ direction is definitely engaging for the way he opens the film with London noticing he’s being followed and watch as he does his usual day-to-day activities as it builds up the suspense very slowly. Shot mainly in France as Czechoslovakia for some of the exteriors, the film spends much of its time inside the prisons where London has no clue where he’s at or what time it is as he’s often blindfolded or wearing glasses that block his vision. While there’s a few wide shots in the film, much of Costa-Gavras’ direction involve more intimate shots with the usage of medium shots to capture the space of the jail cells, the interrogation rooms, and other rooms in the prison where it can be claustrophobic at times. Still, Costa-Gavras maintains an air of intrigue throughout the course of the film during these interrogations where the methods are torturous as it’s not just physical but also mental. By the time Kohoutek enters the film, it definitely become a game of wits with Kohoutek trying to gather everything he can from London as there is a sense of repetition in what London has to say for the public trials.
There are some wide shots in the trial sequence as it include a moment of humor to play into the grandness of what is happening. The scenes set in 1965 at the South of France are much simpler as well as the scenes in the aftermath as it’s more about what London had been through and what he would see happen to his home country. Especially when he’s forced to see the fallacy of what the communist movement was all about and the accusations he had been given over his loyalty to the party. Overall, Costa-Gavras creates a very captivating and unsettling film about a man being forced to confess for crimes and such he probably didn’t commit.
Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of low-key lights for the scenes in the prisons as well as the lack of sunlight for some of the exteriors, with the exception of the scenes at the south of France, to play into the grimy world of Czechoslovakia. Editor Francoise Bonnot does excellent work with the editing as it’s very stylized with its jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and some montages to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Bernard Evein does amazing work with the look of the prison cells, the courtroom, and other places that play into this cold world of Communist Czechoslovakia. The sound work of William Robert Sivel is superb for capturing the atmosphere of the prisons as well as the way some of the sounds of the torture devices are presented. The film’s music by Giovanni Fusco is fantastic for its sparse yet eerie score filled with dissonant strings and keyboards to play into the melancholic elements of the film.
The film’s terrific cast features a large ensemble that include Jean Bouise as a factory boss and Michel Vitold as a communist party official. Gabriele Ferzetti is incredible as Kohoutek as an interrogator for the Soviets who would use unconventional methods to get London to sign documents and reveal things as it is a very restrained performance from Ferzetti who doesn’t get mad but knows what to do when he’s pushed. Simone Signoret is amazing as Lise London as London’s French wife who is concerned about her husband but is also aware of what she has to do to avoid prison time as she is forced to make some serious sacrifices. Finally, there’s Yves Montand in a tremendous performance as Artur London as a vice-minister of foreign affairs for Czechoslovakia who is accused of treason as he wonders what he’s done as it’s a very demanding performance that require a lot of physicality as it’s one of Montand’s finest performances.
L’aveu is a phenomenal film from Costa-Gavras that features top-notch performances from Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Along with its eerie visuals and intense look into the Soviet show trials, it’s a political thriller that showcases what a man would endure to answer questions he has no answers for as well as a look into a dark period of time in Eastern Europe where the Soviets would question its most die-hard loyalists. In the end, L’aveu is a sensational film from Costa-Gavras.
Costa-Gavras Films: (The Sleeping Car Murders) – (Shock Troops) – Z - (State of Siege) – (Special Section) – (Womanlight) – Missing (1982 film) - (Hanna K.) – (Family Business) – (Betrayed (1988 film)) – (Music Box) – (The Little Apocalypse) – (Mad City) – (Amen.) – (Le Couperet) – (Eden is West)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the play by Arthur Schnitzler, La Ronde is a collection of stories involving infidelity where one person meets this person and that person meets another person. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls and Jacques Natanson, the film is an exploration into what makes people fall in love and commit adultery in the most whimsical of ways. Starring Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Simone Simon, Daniel Gelin, Danielle Darrieux, Fernand Gravey, Odette Joyeux, Jean-Louis Barrault, Isa Miranda, and Gerard Philipe. La Ronde is a witty and delightful film from Max Ophuls.
Set in 1900 Vienna, the film follows a series of infidelities where a man meets a woman and that woman meets another man who would be with this woman who would be with this man and so on. It’s a film with a simple premise as it’s largely told by a narrator (Anton Walbrook) from the modern world who would tell these stories involving people falling in love. Among them is a soldier who meets a prostitute as he would later fall for this chambermaid who falls for the son of the people she’s working for as he would have an affair with a married woman. That is the narrative in a nutshell as it is largely told by this narrator who would often break down the fourth wall or appear in a story as a supporting character. It’s a very unique approach to the narrative as it covers one affair after the other as the characters that are in this merry-go-round of love affairs prove to be very interesting and why people would fall in love with this person or that person.
Max Ophuls’ direction is definitely intoxicating to watch from the way he recreates 1900 Vienna as well as not be afraid to break the fourth wall. Shot largely in a soundstage as Vienna, Ophuls would use the setting to create some intricate camerawork with the tracking shots and some crane shots where it would often last for minutes rather than shoot something for less than a minute. Ophuls’ usage of close-ups and medium shots would maintain an intimacy for much of the film while he would also use some slanted camera angles for stylish reasons to play into a character that is in a transition from one lover to another. There are some wide shots in the film as it’s more about the romances and relationships while the narrator would often be seen driving a merry-go-round or do something that relates to the story where he would hold a reel of film and cut it out and back to a certain part of the story. Overall, Ophuls creates a whimsical yet splendid about people falling in love with this person and that person.
Cinematographer Christian Matras does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its usage of shades and shadows for some of the interiors along with some unique lighting for some of the exterior scenes set at night. Editor Leonide Azar does excellent work by creating some unique cutting styles including a few transitional wipes and some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the comedy and conversations. Production designer Jean d’Eaubonne does fantastic work with the set design from the different homes of some of the characters to the design of the merry-go-round. The costumes of Georges Annenkov are wonderful for its stylish look in the dresses the women wear as well as the suits that the men wear. The sound work of Pierre-Louis Calvet is superb for the natural elements of the sound as it doesn’t try to go for anything artificial. The film’s music by Oscar Strauss is amazing as it is this very lively orchestral score that play into the humor and romance with some songs sung by the narrator.
The film’s incredible ensemble cast feature performance that are just fun to watch starting with Anton Walbrook as the film’s narrator/game master who leads the audience to the story and break the fourth wall at times while taking on small supporting roles as an outsider as he’s a joy to watch. From the side of the men, we have Gerard Philipe in a superb performance as a young count who is in love with the actress while he would lament over his own love affairs. Jean-Louis Barrault is terrific as a poet who is in love with a young grisette named Anna as well as the actress while Daniel Gelin is excellent as a young man who would have an affair with a maid and a married woman. In the role of the young soldier, Serge Reggiani is fantastic as the soldier who would start things off in his tryst with a prostitute and later the maid. Fernand Gravey is excellent as the husband of the cheating wife who is having a relationship with a young grisette as he laments over his marriage.
From the women, we have Isa Miranda in a wonderful performance as a stage actress who is having an affair with a poet and a young count while Odette Joyeux is brilliant as a young grisette who spends her time with this married man but is in love with this poet. Danielle Darrieux is amazing as this married woman who is in love with this young man that she’s having an affair with yet still has love for her husband despite their passionless marriage. Simone Simon is radiant as a young maid who is dating this young soldier yet manages to fall for this man whose parents she works for while Simone Signoret is great as a prostitute who starts the entire story with her brief liaison with a soldier as she would start a chain of affairs for everyone involved.
La Ronde is a phenomenal film from Max Ophuls. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a witty story about infidelity, and an unconventional approach to its narrative. It’s a film that manages to be something fun as well as provide some unique ideas about infidelity in a humorous way. In the end, La Ronde is a spectacular film from Max Ophuls.
Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - Le Plaisir - The Earrings of Madame de... - Lola Montes - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)
© thevoid99 2017
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
