Companions of the Night (1953) User Reviews

Accomplished French exploitation movie.

[Mozjoukine · 5 December 2010]

These dramas of the streets were a common form of French movie in the fifties - MARKET IN WOMEN and the Robert Hossein films and this is easily the pick of the bunch.

Strong cast are shot by the great Roger Hubert, who did films for Carné, and the scripting and production give things an involving texture. Francoise Arnoul. our dream girl of the fifties, is in her element as the corrupted innocent that the action swirls around and there are even some effective dramatic scenes, like the bar confrontation between truck driver Pierre Cressoy and pimp Raymond Pellegrin.

Sleazy or not, something like this obliterated the contemporary British film and even a lot of the material that was getting wider exposure from the US.

The team tried to go again with RAGE AU CORPS with less impact.

Putain put-on

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 1/10 · 26 August 2003]

I really, really, REALLY dislike movies that romanticise prostitution ... which is one of the most dehumanising jobs in existence, but which far too many movies routinely depict as a great career choice for young women who want to get plenty of fresh air and chances to meet people. I recently viewed 'From Hell', in which a bunch of streetwalkers in Victorian London are all good-looking, clean, well-dressed and happy. They take a work break to relax in the pub over drinks, and they pay for these and leave a nice tip before going back to 'the job'. The harsh reality is that most streetwalkers in Victorian London were broken-down pauper women who plied their trade (standing up, in dark alleys) for many hours just to earn enough pennies to pay for one night's lodging in a lice-ridden bed in a doss-house.

The French film 'The Comrades of the Night' is grossly offensive and dishonest, although at least it serves the useful purpose of proving that the French (allegedly so sophisticated in sexual matters) can be just as prurient and hypocritical as anybody else when the topic is sex. This movie purports to give us an inside look at the prostitution industry, but all the scenes depicted here are blatantly staged and unconvincing. The film takes a hypocritical tone, professing to condemn what is shown here, while actually revelling in the sexual exploitation.

The viewpoint character is Olga, who was sexually exploited in her girlhood. Fair enough; many prostitutes were sexually abused before they went 'on the game'. But we are told that Olga 'really' became a prozzy so as to earn money for food and medicine for her little crippled brother Jackie. (Oh, yes. Pull the other one!) We see Olga and other 'working girls' beaten and exploited by their pimps. This too would be a valid story element, as many real-life prostitutes are indeed mistreated and exploited by their 'managers'. But the violence and other encounters shown here are laughably melodramatic and completely implausible. The whores must contend with corrupt vice cops ... again, this happens in real life, but is shown here in a manner that's entirely unrealistic.

SPOILER COMING, BUT WHO CARES: Eventually, Olga rebels against Verdier (her pimp) and shoots him. So what? All these characters are cardboard.

This movie is the French equivalent of those low-budget 'road-house' exploitation movies that used to be commonplace in America. The only real merits of 'The Comrades of the Night' are a few interesting examples of French underworld slang on the badly-recorded soundtrack. I'll rate this movie one point out of 10. Zut alors!

Streetwalking

[dbdumonteil · 14 March 2011]

There's a warning before the cast and credits ,a rather long warning:prostitution is a scourge ,we've got to do something about it,we are going to show prostitution as it really is,the women's plight,warts and all ,blah ,blah ,blah....

It's not really an honest movie as was Henry Decoin's "Razzia Sur La Chnouff" which dealt with another burning subject:drugs.It's a melodrama about whores like so many others in the fifties ,the likes of Leo Joannon ("Le Desert De Pigalle" ) or Maurice Cloche ("Marchands De Filles" "Les Filles De Nuit").No real daring scene ,but a lot of clichés ,notably the hooker-with-a-great-heart (Suzy Prim was so gifted an actress she almost shone in this hackneyed part),the good truck driver and the sadistic pimp (Raymond Pellegrin ,in a part unworthy of himself).

Françoise Arnoul's character is the only one which is not totally cardboard.The story is a long flashback after she shot her pimp down and begins in a way which is not derivative :she depicts a fairytale castle ,a young girl waiting for her prince Charming's coming whereas the pictures -which actually show a gloomy girls reformatory -refute what she is telling.This young girl could earn her living (she's offered a job as a maid in a house ) or even marry the good guy (Pierre Cressoy)but she takes what she thinks is the easy way out.