After committing a murder, a man locks himself in his apartment and recollects the events that led him to the killing.
Direction
Carné elevates pulp material to operatic tragedy.
Acting
Gabin's weary eyes contain multitudes of sorrow.
Cinematography
Shadows so gorgeous they almost forgive the darkness.
Director
Marcel Carné
Jean Gabin
François
Jacqueline Laurent
Françoise
Jules Berry
M. Valentin
Arletty
Clara
Mady Berry
La concierge
René Génin
Le concierge
Arthur Devère
M. Gerbois
René Bergeron
Le patron du café
Bernard Blier
Gaston
Germaine Lix
La chanteuse
Gabrielle Fontan
La vieille dame dans l'escalier
Jacques Baumer
Le commissaire
Marcel Pérès
Paulo
Annie Carriel
Une locataire
Léonce Corne
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is Poetic Realism's swan song—made as WWII loomed, Carné and screenwriter Jacques Prévert would soon flee occupied France.
Arletty's Clara was controversial for her earthy sexuality; critics missed that she's the film's moral compass, not its corruption.
FR
