The story is almost rudimentary. An honest plain-speaking working man, Francois, is in love with a fresh-faced young Francoise, but she begins hanging around with an older man burdened with a diabolically sinister face, Valentin. The older man travels around with a trained dog act and a pretty but worn assistant, Clara, who falls in lust with Francois, much to the annoyance of Valentin.
Actually neither man cares much about Clara. They both have their eyes on Francoise. There is a big argument between the two men in Francois' room and Francois shoots and kills Valentin.
The police surround the room in which Francois has hunkered down. He broods about the events in flashbacks, then shoots himself. Fin.
Maybe I was expecting too much because the movie is generally regarded as a classic of its kind. "Poetic realism"? The subtitles are sometimes far enough off to be amusing. The acting is nothing to write home about, but the direction is functional and the success of the movie -- and it IS successful -- hangs on the characterizations.
Absolutely nobody is entirely sound morally. Take Francois (Gabin). Yes, he's honest, plain-spoken, ordinary looking, and honest -- he hates people who lie. But, well, there's the business of that rather nasty murder. Valentin has just insulted the beautiful Francoise but he's also suggested that Francois is a pedophile for wanting her. It's at that point that Francois picks up the pistol and plugs the other guy. Is he responding with such fury to the insult aimed at Francoise -- or the one aimed at himself? In either case, the insult is delivered casually, almost jokingly, and hardly an excuse for such an explosion of rage. And we can't overlook the fact that -- insult or no insult -- Francois is shooting and killing a rival for his girl friend's affections. All through the movie, Francois has shown himself to be ill tempered and the murder seems not much more than a logical expression of that character flaw.
Valentin is evil looking alright. His eyes seem pasted onto the sides of his head. He wears a loud phony checked overcoat, as opposed to Francois' working kit. He waves his hands dramatically. He lies fluently -- at one point claiming to be Francoise' father. A roguish fellow, the sort, as he explains to the slightly dull Francois, that interests women, while Francois is the sort that women fall in love with. He's probably more perceptive than anyone else in the movie, even about himself. "People loathe me. I am a figure of ridicule," he tells himself in the mirror. He's obviously meant to be some kind of bad guy. Why doesn't he leave Francois and Francoise alone to live happily ever after. Why does he keep NUDGING them? Okay, but that's hardly enough justification for his murder.
Anyway, his possessiveness towards Francoise does raise an interesting question. Not about Valentin but about Francoise. What is her game anyway? She seems to like Francois well enough and kisses him warmly once in a while, and she keeps his photo on her mirror, although when he proposes marriage to her (more than once) she guides the conversation in a different direction. She turns down Francois' offer of a soirée to watch Valentin perform in the café, but although she applauds enthusiastically and allows him to shepherd her around, she never seems to care that much for him. All in all, she's a blank.
The complexity of the characters adds a layer of meaning to the movie that the plot simply can't supply. I was glad I watched it, in the same way I'd be happy to take another peek at the Mona Lisa, because everybody says its so good. But I don't think I'd watch it again.
Actually neither man cares much about Clara. They both have their eyes on Francoise. There is a big argument between the two men in Francois' room and Francois shoots and kills Valentin.
The police surround the room in which Francois has hunkered down. He broods about the events in flashbacks, then shoots himself. Fin.
Maybe I was expecting too much because the movie is generally regarded as a classic of its kind. "Poetic realism"? The subtitles are sometimes far enough off to be amusing. The acting is nothing to write home about, but the direction is functional and the success of the movie -- and it IS successful -- hangs on the characterizations.
Absolutely nobody is entirely sound morally. Take Francois (Gabin). Yes, he's honest, plain-spoken, ordinary looking, and honest -- he hates people who lie. But, well, there's the business of that rather nasty murder. Valentin has just insulted the beautiful Francoise but he's also suggested that Francois is a pedophile for wanting her. It's at that point that Francois picks up the pistol and plugs the other guy. Is he responding with such fury to the insult aimed at Francoise -- or the one aimed at himself? In either case, the insult is delivered casually, almost jokingly, and hardly an excuse for such an explosion of rage. And we can't overlook the fact that -- insult or no insult -- Francois is shooting and killing a rival for his girl friend's affections. All through the movie, Francois has shown himself to be ill tempered and the murder seems not much more than a logical expression of that character flaw.
Valentin is evil looking alright. His eyes seem pasted onto the sides of his head. He wears a loud phony checked overcoat, as opposed to Francois' working kit. He waves his hands dramatically. He lies fluently -- at one point claiming to be Francoise' father. A roguish fellow, the sort, as he explains to the slightly dull Francois, that interests women, while Francois is the sort that women fall in love with. He's probably more perceptive than anyone else in the movie, even about himself. "People loathe me. I am a figure of ridicule," he tells himself in the mirror. He's obviously meant to be some kind of bad guy. Why doesn't he leave Francois and Francoise alone to live happily ever after. Why does he keep NUDGING them? Okay, but that's hardly enough justification for his murder.
Anyway, his possessiveness towards Francoise does raise an interesting question. Not about Valentin but about Francoise. What is her game anyway? She seems to like Francois well enough and kisses him warmly once in a while, and she keeps his photo on her mirror, although when he proposes marriage to her (more than once) she guides the conversation in a different direction. She turns down Francois' offer of a soirée to watch Valentin perform in the café, but although she applauds enthusiastically and allows him to shepherd her around, she never seems to care that much for him. All in all, she's a blank.
The complexity of the characters adds a layer of meaning to the movie that the plot simply can't supply. I was glad I watched it, in the same way I'd be happy to take another peek at the Mona Lisa, because everybody says its so good. But I don't think I'd watch it again.