JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL

Anna Douking

JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL (aka Juste avant la nuit/1971). Director: Claude Chabrol. 

At the very opening of Just Before Nightfall we see that rather unemotional Charles Masson (Michel Bouquet) has strangled his lover, Laura (Anna Douking). Immediately afterward he runs into Laura's husband -- and his best friend -- Francois Tellier (Francois Perier), but acts as if nothing has happened. Charles has a wife, Helene (Stephane Audran), and two lovely children. Although Charles initially seems unaffected by his actions -- and there is a question of whether or not the death was deliberate or "accidental" -- it clearly begins to nag at him. Meanwhile Francois decides not to tell the police that his friend was seen at Laura's special apartment because he believes Charles is above suspicion. But Charles can't bear to keep silent about what he's done. But how will Helene react when she learns the truth? And Francois? Charles may be surprised by their attitude.

Stephane Audran and Michel Bouquet

I have always had mixed emotions about Claude Chabrol, whose movies seem hit or miss. I have never seen him as being great enough to be called a "French Hitchcock." Still, now and then he comes out with a memorable picture, and Just Before Nightfall falls into that category. The film is an absorbing, well-acted mood piece, shot through with an air of fatalism. Are Charles and Helene a sophisticated, continental couple above the usual marital conventions? Is Helene a romantic, delusional fool? Or is Charles merely a pig and Helene his dupe? The picture has a very satisfying ending that may answer all those questions. Chabrol's masterpiece remains Les bonnes femmes.

Verdict: One of Chabrol's better movies. ***. 

THIS MAN MUST DIE

Jean Yanne and Michel Duchaussoy

THIS MAN MUST DIE (aka Que la bete meure/1969). Director: Claude Chabrol.  

When his little boy is run down in the street and killed by a driver who doesn't stop, Charles Thenier (Michel Duchaussoy), determines to find out who was behind the wheel so that he can kill him. Eventually Charles' trail leads to an actress, Helene Lanson (Caroline Cellier), who was in the car when the tragedy occurred. Charles begins a romance with Helene in order to get closer to the driver, her brother-in-law, Paul (Jean Yanne). Charles is afraid that Paul might turn out to be someone likable, which would make his job more difficult, but Paul turns out to be fairly odious, someone who is vile to both his wife and son, Philippe (Marc di Napoli). Now the question is: can Charles bring himself to commit murder?

Michel Duchaussoy

This Man Must Die is another memorable and well-acted Chabrol film, perhaps more of a character study than a thriller. For a time the second half of the film -- once Charles uncovers the identity of the driver -- is less interesting than the first half, but then some intriguing events bring the picture back into focus. It is interesting that Charles is not entirely virtuous and Paul is not a complete monster. The film has a moving conclusion, and the use of the music of Brahms on the soundtrack is a decided asset. 

Verdict: Notable Chabrol drama. ***.  

OVERPRAISED NEW MOVIE: ANATOMY OF A FALL

ANATOMY OF A FALL (aka Anatomie d'un chute/2023). Director/co-screenplay: Justine Triet. 

German-born Sandra (Sandra Huller) lives in a Chalet in France with her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), and their son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner). Sandra is a successful novelist while her husband is a teacher who seems unable to complete his own book. One day Samuel is found lying dead in the snow outside the chalet -- but did he fall, jump, or was he pushed? Eventually Sandra, who has had one-night stands with other women and had a big, tape-recorded fight with Sam not long before his death, is arrested for murder. Her lawyer, Vincent (Swann Arlaud), and his associates, do their best to convince a jury that Samuel, depressed at being a failure at forty, committed suicide. Meanwhile young Daniel struggles with his own conflicted feelings. 

Samuel Theis and Sandra Huller

Despite a slow opening, Anatomy of a Fall is an absorbing and interesting movie that reminds one of an episode of Dateline. Did she do it or didn't she? Be warned that the movie doesn't seem to care that much if she did or didn't, but is more concerned with analyzing -- to a small extent -- the couple's marriage and Daniel's reactions. Huller is okay in her stereotypically "Germanic" and generally unemotional portrayal, and the adults surrounding her are all on target, but Machado-Graner is superb. There are some well-written scenes in the movie. One that especially comes to mind is the argument between husband and wife in which she accuses him of blaming her for all of his failings. But the movie is also at times rather superficial, especially when it comes to exploring Sandra's sexuality (there's no discussion of her possible internalized homophobia, for instance) and other matters -- it just doesn't dig deep enough (and at two and half hours long it should have). The movie does illustrate how some prosecutors can and will use any bit of ammunition they have, even if they have to twist things a bit, to convict someone (just as defense attorneys do the same in their own way). 

The film received Oscar nominations for best film, best actress, best director and best editing, but won only for best screenplay. In French and English. 

All in all, Anatomy of a Fall is not necessarily a waste of time -- it should hold your attention -- but you'll probably never want to see it again. **3/4. 

OSS 117 UNLEASHED

Kerwin Mathews

OSS 117 UNLEASHED 

(aka OSS 117 se dechaine/1963) 

Director: Andre Hunebelle.

An American agent with the Office of Strategic Services is searching for the prototype of a device that can detect atomic submarines and thinks he's found it in a grotto when he is killed. Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, also known as OSS 117 (Kerwin Mathews of The Viscount), is sent to replace the dead man, and investigates a scuba instructor, Renotte (Henri-Jacques Huet), and his girlfriend, Brigitta (Nadia Sanders), who is keeping secrets. A nasty character named Mayan (Roger Dutoit) is out to keep 117 from finding the detector and employs various unsavory agents, male and female, to stop him. The climax takes place at a spooky estate located above the grotto where 117 will either destroy the device or die trying. 

Irina Demick holds a rifle on 117

OSS 117 was introduced in a series of French novels and made his first film appearance in 1957 where the character had a different name and was a French agent. When Dr. No became a sensation in 1962 filmmakers in France decided to revive the character and make him more like James Bond. Hence Mathews' adroit performance is clearly cut from the same cloth: a man with an eye for the ladies, callous and ruthless, and not at all bothered by the death of anyone, good guy or bad. The movie is fast-paced and suspenseful, with some colorful supporting characters. It cries out for a much better score, however, and the pop song that opens the film is especially bad. Followed by Panic in Bangkok. In French with subtitles. Director Hunebelle directed most of the succeeding 117 films in the sixties as well as Fantomas. 117 still appears in movies made in the 21st century. 

Verdict: Acceptable Eurospy film with handsome Mathews quite effective as the spy. **3/4. 

LADIES MAN (1962)

LADIES MAN (aka Lemmy pour Les Dames/1962). Director: Bernard Borderie. 

Special FBI agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) is on vacation in France, hanging out with his buddy Dombie  (Robert Berri), when a wealthy woman named Claudia (Yvonne Monlaur) asks for his help. Their first meeting in a restaurant is interrupted by the arrival of two men of whom Claudia is obviously frightened, Mirko (Guy Delorme) and Hugo (Lionel Roc). Before Lemmy can consult with Claudia a second time, he finds her corpse at the bottom of a cliff. Nearby is a house inside which Lemmy finds three friends of Claudia's: Sophie, (Eliane D'Almeida), Francoise (Claudine Coster), and Marie-Christine (Francoise Brion). More than one attempt is made on Eddie's life as he tries to figure out which of the women might have had a hand in Claudia's death, as well as might be a part of a blackmail scheme. 

Lemmy Caution first appeared as a character in several novels written by British author Peter Cheyney. Beginning in 1955, the books were adapted into French films starring the very American Eddie Constantine, who had studied voice under Edith Piaf and found some success as a singer! Several Caution/Constantine films were made, the most famous of which is the weird Alphaville, which was not based on a Cheyney novel. Constantine wouldn't be the first or last American actor to achieve more success in Europe than he did in the States. 

Eddie Constantine

Regardless of what country it comes from, Ladies Man is typical private eye stuff. (In the books Caution eventually became a P.I. and, out of his jurisdiction, he basically acts like one in this movie.) We've got all of the usual American private eye tropes -- attempts on the hero's life, bodies turning up, lascivious females trying to get info out of the hero, and so on.  Constantine is by no means conventionally attractive -- he's like a somewhat better-looking Ernest Borgnine -- but he has a certain appeal. It's hard to judge his acting as this is the dubbed version of the film, but the actor dubbing Caution, be it Constantine or someone else, is excellent. The comedic stuff in the film, mostly centering on Lemmy's buddy Dombie, reminds one of similar antics in American PI shows. Pretty standard stuff, Ladies Man is moderately entertaining. Its rough-edged and satisfying conclusion reminds one of Mickey Spillane. An odd aspect of the film is that Caution is treated like a celebrity everywhere he goes, with people hungering for his autograph -- an FBI agent?! 

Verdict: If you want to see a Lemmy Caution movie it might as well as this one. **3/4. 

MAYERLING

Doomed lovers: Boyer and Darrieux

MAYERLING      (1936). Director: Anatole Litvak. French-language version with sub-titles.

Rudolph (Charles Boyer), the Crown Prince of Austria, is trapped in a loveless arranged marriage, disagrees with his father's politics and edicts, and spends most of his time carousing and womanizing. Until he espies the pretty young Marie Vetsera (Danielle Darrieux) and the two fall in love. Rudolph tries to have his marriage to the archduchess Stephanie (Yolande Laffon) annulled, but neither the Pope nor his father will allow this. The Emperor finally tells his son that this affair must end within 24 hours. The lovers spend one last fateful night together.

the real Prince Rudolph in younger days

Mayerling was a French film that turned Boyer into an international star. (I believe a dubbed version was also released). At 37 Boyer was a few years too old to play Rudolph (who was around 30), but it doesn't really matter. Boyer and Darrieux both give excellent performances in the less naturalistic style of the 1930's. The supporting cast consists of unfamiliar but well-chosen and effective French actors; I especially enjoyed Andre Dubosc as the prince's elderly and loving valet. 

Based on a novel, Mayerling -- named for the prince's retreat where the final rendezvous takes place -- is a fictionalized version of the story. There were at least three subsequent versions: The Secret of Mayerling, a French film that delves into the now-discredited theory that the lovers were murdered; a 1957 version with Audrey Hepburn and husband Mel Ferrer; and the 1968 version with Omar Sharif, which includes another lover of the prince's, an actress/possible prostitute that he apparently also tried to impress into a death pact. I have a feeling the real facts about our prince are much more interesting, and perhaps even less savory, than what happens in this movie. 

Boyer

In real life, Rudolph's marriage to Stephanie began happily enough, but frankly, Rudy was a bit of a dog; he even gave his wife a venereal disease! In the film Rudolph not only cheats on his wife but utterly humiliates her by asking Marie to dance with him instead of her at a royal ball. The couple's rather callous treatment of the wife is kind of glossed over, although the very young Marie does have the sensitivity to say of some gossiping old biddies, "It isn't easy getting old." Mayerling boasts a very arresting and interesting score by Arthur Honegger. Boyer and Darrieux reteamed 17 years later for The Earrings of Madame De.  

Verdict: If taken with a grain of salt, this is an impressive and well-made romantic picture. ***. 

ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS

Maurice Ronet

ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS (aka Ascenseur pour l'echafaud/1958). Director: Louis Malle. France. 

Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet of The Champagne Murders) is sleeping with the boss's wife, Florence (Jeanne Moreau of Jules and Jim), who urges him to kill her husband. After the murder, Julien goes back into the office to dispose of some incriminating evidence and gets trapped in the elevator when the power is turned off. Meanwhile young Louis (Georges Poujouly), boyfriend of flower seller Veronique (Yori Bertin) takes off in Julien's car for a joy ride and takes a mildly protesting Veronique with him. On the road they encounter a German couple who befriend them, but when there's a homicide Julien becomes subject of a manhunt despite the fact he's still stuck in an elevator. Which crime will Julien wind up being accused of?

Jeanne Moreau

Elevator to the Gallows is an interesting if minor crime film and the first to be directed by Louis Malle. Although the movie has some interesting twists and situations and a very satisfying ending where no one gets off with anything, it also has one-dimensional characters and Malle (admittedly a very different type of director from, say, Alfred Hitchcock) does virtually nothing to maximize the suspense -- just because people are speaking French doesn't make this a profound drama. The performances are generally good across the board. One could argue that Ronet plays it a little too cool considering his situation but it can also be argued that he is an ex-soldier who keeps his head no matter what.

Georges Poujouly

Georges Poujouly makes an impression as the ever-sullen young baby-faced tough who steals Julien's car. He was a child actor who graduated to adult roles and amassed forty-four credits in France. There are a scattering of good character performances throughout the film as well. Miles Davis contributed a moody jazz score that works fairly well for the movie. An interesting aspect of the film is that the two lovers are never together throughout the entire movie, only seen talking to each other on the telephone at the opening.

Verdict: Interesting film that could have been much more memorable if it had had a better script and taut direction. **1/2. 

THE CHAMPAGNE MURDERS

Yvonne Furrneaux and Anthony Perkins

THE CHAMPAGNE MURDERS (aka Le scandale/1967). Director: Claude Chabrol.

Christine Belling (Yvonne Furneaux of The Death Ray Mirror of Dr. Mabuse) has not only acquired the majority of shares in the Wagner champagne business -- probably due to her late father's business tactics -- but a gigolo husband named Christopher (Anthony Perkins). Christopher's buddy, Paul Wagner (Maurice Ronet), who introduced him to his wife, still controls the name of the champagne company, a name that Christine desperately wants to own. Things take a strange turn when a drunk Paul wakes up more than once to find a woman's corpse nearby. Has he gone mad or is somebody framing him?

Maurice Ronet

The Champagne Murders is an arresting enough but very odd movie that holds the attention despite the leisurely pacing and almost episodic nature of the first three quarters of the film. Although this is a post-Psycho movie and Chabrol was a great Hitchcock admirer, the murders in this all happen off-screen -- there are no grisly details or cinematic pyrotechnics. Then the whole thing is topped off with a twist that some viewers may have seen coming while others may be merely confused. The final sequence of the film is lifted a bit from The Big Knife but is undeniably effective.

Christine and her maid

As to the performers -- which include Furneaux and Ronet as well as Stephane Audran, Henry Jones [Deathtrap], and Suzanne Lloyd -- everyone is on target with the exception of Perkins, who is badly miscast as the gigolo and doesn't seem to have any real idea how to play the part. Chabrol probably figured that having a well-known American actor in the role would increase box office in the U.S., but it also compromised his movie. Still, there's something about the picture that keeps you hooked, and while there are things about it that may not seem to make sense, if you think about it a bit it works -- well, except for at least one sequence that makes absolutely no sense once you know the big reveal at the end --  although one could easily argue that (considering the thin characterizations) the movie would have worked even better as a gorier and more violent type of French-style giallo movie.

Verdict: You may be scratching your head at the conclusion, but it's still entertaining and Ronet is compelling. ***. 

JULES AND JIM

Henri Serre and Oskar Werner

JULES AND JIM (aka Jules et Jim/1962). Director: Francois Truffaut. Based on a novel by Henri-Pierre Roche.

French Jim (Henri Serre) and German Jules (Oskar Werner) become the best of friends in Paris, and become a trio when they meet the free-spirited Catherine (Jeanne Moreau of The Yellow Rolls Royce). Eventually she marries Jules and all of them are separated by WW 1. After the war they are reunited, and Catherine transfers her affections to Jim, despite the fact that she and Jules have a young daughter. They live together in a kind of strictly heterosexual menage a trois, but Catherine's screwy personality is such that a lasting happiness with either man may be unlikely for her ...

Jeanne Moreau and Oskar Werner

The "New Wave" Jules and Jim was much admired when it was released and still certainly has plenty of fans among foreign film  enthusiasts. The generally fast-paced film is well-acted by the three leads, it boasts a fine score by Georges Delerue [The Conformist] and beautiful cinematography from Raoul Coutard. There is a free-love, supposedly European frankness to the film that certainly differentiates it from a Hollywood soap opera without necessarily improving upon it. In fact, one can imagine the same story being told by a major Hollywood director who could have given it much more impact, although the downside is that the production code might have insisted on the old moralistic "sin and suffer" approach. The trouble is that the characters of Jules and Jim never quite seem like real people, just sketches made with too-broad brush strokes; instead of seeming sophisticated, they just come off as childish. There's too much of the narrator telling us things about these people instead of letting the film show us. The light touch of the movie, with everyone seeming to accept the situation (without really doing so), is at odds with the utterly melodramatic, indeed somewhat farcical,  developments that wind up the picture. Still, it's just these bizarre touches that probably made the picture stand out when otherwise it might have been forgotten. Jules and Jim is too well-made to dismiss, but I can't quite disagree with those people who think it might have better been titled "Two Dopes and a Skank (who can't make up her mind)." A better Truffaut film is The Story of Adele H. 

Verdict: Like a fair-to-middling French Woody Allen movie, for better or worse. **1/2. 

THE SLEEPING CAR MURDER

Yves Montand and Jean-Louis Trintignant

THE SLEEPING CAR MURDER (aka Compatiment tueurs.1965). Director: Costa-Gavras.

When a train traveling from Marseilles pulls into Paris, a young woman is found strangled to death in a sleeper compartment. Inspector Graziani (Yves Montand of The Wages of Fear) and his partner Jean-Lou Gabert (Claude Mann) investigate the murder and to their astonishment discover that someone else is reaching the witnesses, the other passengers in the murder car who disembarked in Paris, first, and shooting them! The witnesses include the actress Eliane Darres (Simone Signoret of Games), who has a younger lover,  Eric (Jean-Louis Trintignant); Rene Cabourg (Michel Piccoli of Danger: Diabolik), who is resentful that women generally snub him, as did the victim; Daniel (Jacques Perrin), a young runaway who rides the train without a ticket; Bambi (Catherine Allegret), a young lady who takes him to her apartment for sex and sustenance; and others. The Sleeping Car Murder is suspenseful and has some good actors in it, but despite some intriguing developments, it's a bit of a let-down once you realize that the basic premise is pretty much lifted from Agatha  Christie -- not Murder on the Orient Express, but "The Alphabet Murders," which was also filmed that same year. At least this has different plot developments and an unexpected final twist as well as some homoerotic elements (Eric pours through a muscle man magazine in front of an oblivious Eliane in an early scene; the identity of his male lover comes as quite a surprise.) The picture drags a bit after the final revelation and the film's score is lousy, but Sleeping Car is still an attention-holder. With a mysterious killer wandering around in a black raincoat killing people, the movie almost reminds one of an Italian giallo film, but the murders are neither gruesome nor graphic. Signoret, Trintignant, Piccoli, Mann and the others are all quite effective, but Montand looks pretty bored throughout. He was married to Signoret at the time, from 1951 until his death in 1984. Catherine Allegret is Signoret's daughter by her first husband.

Verdict: Interesting French thriller .. with reservations. **1/2.

LES BONNES FEMMES

Bernadette Lafont and Stephane Audran

LES BONNES FEMMES (aka The Good Girls/1960). Director: Claude Chabrol.

Four Parisian shop girls work as clerks, try to have fun when they aren't working, and hope to find love or some fulfillment of their dreams. Rita (Lucile Saint-Simon) is engaged to the condescending Henri (Sacha Briquet), who thinks she isn't cultured enough for his parents. Jane (Bernadette Lafont) has a soldier boyfriend but dallies with a married man named Marcel (Jean-Louis Maury), who is a bit of a jackass. Ginette (Stephane Audran of Les Biches) secretly sings -- rather badly -- in a revue and is terrified that anyone should find out about it. And Jacqueline (Clotilde Joano) is obsessed with a man on a motorcycle, Andre (Mario David), who follows her all over Paris. The owner of the shop, Mr. Belin (Pierre Bertin), is a creepy old lech who breathes all over the gals while doling out supposed advice. Les Bonnes Femmes, a prime example of what was called the French New Wave, is almost anti-romantic in the downbeat but fascinating way it puts sentimentality on its head. The cashier in the shop, Madame Louise (Ave Ninchi), has a "fetish" that she shows to Jacqueline and which turns out to be a grotesque memento that foreshadows the very grim ending of the movie. Chabrol keeps the picture, which might seem uneventful and undramatic by Hollywood standards, moving, makes good use of Parisian locations, and fills the film with interesting details and performances. The young ladies are all quite attractive, while the men they get involved with are generally quite average looking, but this is not necessarily unrealistic. Henri Dacae's cinematography is topnotch, and the unusual and effective score is by Pierre Jansen and Paul Misraki. Chabrol married Stephane Audran four years after this film was released. 

Verdict: Chabrol's masterpiece. ***1/2.

RIFIFI

Jean Servais, Robert Manuel, Carl Mohner 

RIFIFI (aka Du Rififi chez les hommes/1955). Director: Jules Dassin.

Three Parisians -- Tony (Jean Servias), Jo (Carl Mohner) and Mario (Robert Manuel) -- all of whom have been in prison, decide to knock off a jewelry store. They bring in a fourth player, a "macaroni," (an Italian) named Cesar (Jules Dassin), who is a noted safe cracker. Tony lost his girlfriend, Mado (Marie Sabouret), to a crooked club owner named Pierre (Marcel Lupovici) and now wants her back, but Pierre will deal with Tony in his own fashion. Jo has a wife, Louise (Janine Darcey), and little boy, Tonio (Dominique Maurin), a connection which Pierre will take cruel advantage of. Rafifi is well-known as one of the more notable "caper" films. although there's probably more suspense in a scary, climactic car ride involving the little boy than there is in the robbery itself. The picture's greatest strength is the acting by the entire cast, including director Dassin; Robert Hossein as Pierre's drug-addicted brother, Remi; and Claude Sylvain as Ida, who sings the "Rififfi" tune in Pierre's nightclub. I might argue that Rififi is not quite a  masterpiece, but it is a good and absorbing picture with some interesting developments. Dassin also directed The Affairs of Martha and another famous caper film, Topkapi. Dassin was born in Connecticut; after being blacklisted in Hollywood, he went to France to find work. Carl Mohner was an Austrian actor.

Verdict: French burglars on the loose! ***. 

UN FLIC / DIRTY MONEY

Alain Delon

UN FLIC (aka Dirty Money/1972). Director: Jean-Pierre Melville.

Simon (Richard Crenna of The Evil) owns a nightclub in Paris but is secretly head of a gang that robs banks and steals a load of heroin off of a train. Simon's girlfriend, Cathy (Catherine Deneuve), is shared by Simon's friend, Edouard Coleman (Alain Delon), who happens to be a cop investigating these very crimes ... Un Flic (which means "a cop" in French) certainly has an intriguing premise, but the approach -- which is either minimalist or merely indicative of too much being left on the cutting room floor --  strips it of real intensity, as the characters are all stick figures. We never learn how Simon and the other gang members fit together, how he got to become friends with Edouard, the true relationship between Cathy and either man etc. and all we're left with is some modestly well-crafted "caper" scenes, one of which features some unfortunate and unconvincing miniatures of a train and helicopter. Delon [The Yellow Rolls Royce] is terrific, in spite of the fact that we don't learn too much about him except that he's quite tough and rigorously unsentimental. Deneuve is given so little to do it's a wonder why she even bothered showing up on the set. Michael Conrad, who appeared with Joan Crawford on The Virginian,  plays one of the gang members, and there's nice work from an unknown actress (?) who plays a transvestite who provides Eduoard with information. One expects a final revelation or twist that never comes, and some moments are simply inexplicable.This was Melville's last film.

Verdict: This example of French film noir holds the attention but you keep hoping for more. **1/2.

PEPE LE MOKO

Jean Gabin as Pepe

PEPE LE MOKO (1937). Director: Julien Duvivier.

Master thief Pele le Moko (Jean Gabin) has taken up residence in the twisted, dangerous byways of the Casbah in Algiers, where he hides out from the authorities even as he feels like he's a prisoner. His girlfriend is Ines (Line Noro), but he develops a romantic yearning for Gaby (Mireille Balin), the kept woman of a rich, corpulent tourist. But will Ines' jealousy interfere with his plans to flee to his beloved Paris with the woman of his dreams? The characters of Pepe le Moko are not that dimensional or bright, but the film's intensity, especially at the climax, partially compensates, and one can certainly feel pity for Ines. There is something quasi-tragic about a man meeting fate because of his feelings for a woman who is, by any standard, a tramp, but this has always been a popular theme in movies from any country. The best scene in the movie has the old and fat Tania (Frehel) beautifully singing a sad song of lost youth and regret as Pepe listens. Fernand Chapin is the informer and turncoat, Regis; Gilbert Gil is young Pierrot, who comes to a bad end; and Lucas Gridoux is Slimane, the friendly police inspector who intends to arrest Pepe as soon as he leaves the protected territory of the Casbah. Pepe le Moko is no different from a Hollywood movie in that it never seems remotely real. Devoid of much sex appeal, Gabin makes an unlikely lover boy, but his performance is fine,and Noro is especially affecting as Ines. Based on a French crime novel, there were at least two American remakes, Aligers with Charles Boyer and Casbah with Tony Martin! Duvivier also directed such interesting American films as Flesh and Fantasy and Lydia. His last film was the unfortunate Diabolically Yours in 1967.

Verdict: Despite its flaws, this has a certain power, especially in the well-played finale. ***.

STRANGER BY THE LAKE

Pierre Deladonchamps

STRANGER BY THE LAKE (aka L'inconnu du lac/2013). Written and directed by Alain Guiraudie.

At a gay cruising spot on a bucolic lake in France, Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) strikes up an odd friendship with a portly, middle-aged and lonely man named Henri (Patrick d'Assumcao). But the target of his lust is Michel (Christophe Paou). Franck and Michel get together in the woods, and afterward Franck clearly sees Michel drowning his ex-lover, Pascal (Francois-Renaud Lebarthe). But does Franck chose to do anything about it, or say anything to Inspector Damroder (Jerome Chappatte)? No he doesn't -- and therein lies the problem. Stranger By the Lake is less a story of sexual or romantic obsession than it is a study of gay self-hatred, with everyone in the movie seeming to have a death wish, and a hero who can be best described as a wimpy loser. Although he makes some minor noises of sympathy over Pascal, Franck seems to embody the callous and negative attitude that Inspector Damroder wrongly ascribes to the entire gay community -- or at least the guys at the lake -- as if the Inspector is meant to be openly gay writer/director Guiraudie's surrogate. Ridiculously over-praised (but only in some quarters), Stranger By the Lake has been called "Hitchcockian," which is an insult to the Master, who would never have allowed such one-dimensional characters as well as such a minimal degree of suspense. The picture is so sexually explicit that it often borders on porn, making it seem as if the gay characters exist solely to have sex with strangers, and that Franck, who wants a relationship, is an aberration. It's very strange -- and a little sad -- that such a regressive movie would be made by a gay filmmaker in the 21st century -- and in France no less.

Verdict: Despite the somewhat pretty men and settings, this is pure schlock. *1/2.

FANTOMAS Marvel Allain and Pierre Souvestre

FANTOMAS. Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre. Introduction by John Ashbery. First published 1911. Penguin Classics.

This is the first in a series of many, many novels concerning the French master criminal and master of disguise, Fantomas. As the novel begins, there is some question as to whether Fantomas actually exists, but police inspector Juve is convinced that he not only exists but is behind several diabolical crimes. The first of these is the ghastly and brutal murder of the Marquise de Langruen in her locked bedroom, then the murder of Lord Beltham, who is found locked in a trunk. Major characters include Etienne Rambert, who is convinced that his son, Charles, who was so fascinated by Fantomas, is the killer of the Marquise. Then there's the man, Gurn, who may have been the lover of Lady Beltham and may be involved in her husband's death. Juve is eventually able to unmask Fantomas and tell exactly which people the criminal genius was impersonating, but Fantomas has the last laugh and escapes the guillotine via truly despicable means. He "himself was shaken by the horror of the plot he contrived" -- although it's hard to believe the cruel and sociopathic Fantomas would be shaken by any deviltry. Altthough Fantomas and its sequels have been dismissed as mere entertaining pulp stories, this first book in the series, besides being clever and suspenseful, reveals an interesting knowledge of human nature, and the book is quite well-written. The novels were made into several silent serials as well as several sound pictures.

Verdict: Watch out for Fantomas -- he could be anyone! ***.

FANTOMAS: IN THE SHADOW OF THE GUILLOTINE

Rene Navarro and Renee Carl

FANTOMAS: IN THE SHADOW OF THE GUILLOTINE (aka À l'ombre de la guillotine/1913). Director: Louis Feuillade.

The evil genius Fantomas (Rene Navarre) has stolen gems from one terrified woman, Princesse Danidoff (Jane Faber), in a hotel, and is now responsible for the murder of Lord Beltham. Inspector Juve (Edmund Breon) is determined to bring the master criminal to justice. Juve determines that Fantomas is actually Mr. Gurn, the love of Lady Beltham (Renee Carl), and Gurn is arrested and set to be executed. But with the help of Lady Beltham, and the unknowing complicity of the actor Valgrand (Andre Volbert), who plays Fantomas on the stage, Gurn will outwit both Juve and the guillotine. This is the first in a series of short silent films based on the novel Fantomas and subsequent volumes. This film eliminates the grisly murder of the Marquise, as well as the dismaying fate of Valgrand. Beautifully remastered, Fantomas is essentially a curio, well done if basically static, and enlivened by a pastiche musical score. Back in the day, it was probably great fun for French audiences to see scenes from such a popular work of fiction enacted on the screen. Less so today.

Verdict: Interesting curio. **1/2.

A TRIP TO THE MOON

A TRIP TO THE MOON (aka Le voyage dans la lune/1902). Director: Georges Melies.

Considered the first science fiction movie ever made, this short silent film presents a group of scientists flying to the moon, encountering some hostile natives, and making a triumphant return to earth.The tone is comical, with one famous scene showing the rocket lodging in the eye of the Man in the Moon (Georges Melies, who also plays a professor). Clever and charming, A Trip to the Moon makes use of painted back drops and large props, and employs such special effects as superimposition, and considering when it is made is quite marvelous. A group of what can only be described as bathing beauties push the rocket into the chamber or cannon from which it is fired at the moon! Melies was an extremely inventive early filmmaker who pointed the path for many film artists to come. [The new score for this remastered film includes strains from what sounds like Massenet's opera Manon.]

Verdict: A short silent classic. ***.

THE WIDOW COUDERC

Zero chemistry: Simone Signoret and Alain Delon

THE WIDOW COUDERC aka La veuve Couderc/1971). Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre.

In 1934 France an escaped prisoner, Jean (Alain Delon), encounters a middle-aged widow named Mrs. Couderc (Simone Signoret) and goes to work for her. The widow is hated by her in-laws, who live nearby, and is herself not too found of the young unwed mother, Felicie (Ottavia Piccolo), who runs around with her adorable baby in tow and catches Jean's eye. Jean and the widow begin an improbable relationship that has people in the village gossiping, and the in-laws out to expose the truth about Jean. Since few people wanted to see French sex symbol Delon [Joy House] carrying on with the now matronly and chubby Signoret [Games], the two are only seen in bed together once, when they are merely cuddling. The acting isn't bad, but if the characters had been better developed this might have been more convincing. As a romance it doesn't work at all. This is based on a novel by mystery writer Georges Simenon but it is neither a thriller nor a suspense yarn. The final subtitles providing some more information about Jean are so badly translated that they make absolutely no sense.

Verdict: Another disappointing Delon feature. **.

DIABOLICALLY YOURS

Senta Berger and Alain Delon

DIABOLICALLY YOURS  (ala Diaboliquement votre/1967). Director: Julien Duvivier.

An accident victim (Alain Delon) wakes up in the hospital with amnesia and is told he is "Georges Campo." He is confused, but has few complaints as his wife, Christiane (Senta Berger), is beautiful, and they live in a magnificent home on a large estate. His old friend, Freddie (Sergio Fantoni), a doctor, tells him he needs bed rest and shouldn't even make love to his wife until he remembers her. But his dog doesn't recognize him and there are several more accidents that nearly kill him ... Diabolically Yours, a French-Italian-West German co-production. comes off like a poor Movie-of-the-Week, with an unoriginal plot and mostly uninspired performances. Considering the things that have happened to him, Delon [L'eclisse] can only muster up a mildly perturbed air instead of the outrage he would be feeling. Berger [The Spy with My Face] is very pretty but she is only adequate, while Peter Mosbacher steals the show as her odd, devoted servant, Kim. Made ten years earlier with a zestier cast and better direction, this might have come off like a lively if minor film noir such as Strange Awakening, which actually has a similar plot. This was the last film directed by Julien Duvivier, who did both French and American films, such as Flesh and Fantasy and Lydia, both of which were much better than this clap-trap. Duvivier, of course, needed a much better script, but he does very little with what he's been offered.

Verdict: Even Delon's fans will find this a bore. *1/2.