The scene is a tawdry hotel room in Limbo, where several damned souls are gathered. At first, the group fails to comprehend where they are or why they're there. When the horrible truth dawns upon them, they carp and snipe at one another, blaming everyone but themselves for their dismal fate.
Acting
Arletty's venomous Inès steals every frame
Direction
Audry makes one room feel infinite and suffocating
Writing
Sartre's dialogue cuts like broken glass
Director
Jacqueline Audry
Frank Villard
Joseph Garcin
Arletty
Inès Serrano
Gaby Sylvia
Estelle Rigaud
Louis de Funès
le garçon d'étage
Yves Deniaud
le garçon d'étage
Nicole Courcel
Olga
Danièle Delorme
Florence
Jean Debucourt
Le général
Paul Frankeur
Gomez - le compagnon de Garcin
Renaud Mary
Le réceptionniste de l'hôtel
Jean Murat
Le mari d'Estelle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sartre originally wanted it set in a New York subway, but producers feared American audiences would miss the hell metaphor.
Arletty was blacklisted after WWII for a German lover; this comeback role channeled real public scorn into Inès's viciousness.
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