Synopsis: Paris 1943. After her husband’s death, killed by the Germans, Cora joins the résistance under the pseudonym “La Chatte” (the she-cat). Very skillfully she succeeds in a dangerous mission. The same evening she meets a Swiss journalist, Bernard, and falls in love with him. Bernard is a German officer who now has to decide between his love for Cora and his mission.Read More »
Synopsis: ‘François Roques, a power-and-money-mad editor of a Paris newspaper (who justifies his actions by calling attention to his poverty-stricken childhood), invites four women to a housewarming at his penthouse apartment. He plans on one of them to meet death by means of a loose railing on the balcony. The invitees are: Constance, François’ first wife, whose love and integrity also stood in the way of his schemes; Véra Volpone, his second wife, from whom he is seeking a divorce, and who, with the aid of her lover, is blackmailing François; Maggy, his mistress who aids him in his illegal transactions; and Cécile, his fiancée, who is pregnant by another man. The women arrive, tension overwhelms them and the host, three of the women depart…and Francois is alone with his intended victim.’ – Les AdamsRead More »
Quote: In the forties and the fifties,Henry Decoin’s forte was the film noir:”non coupable” which remains ignored today might be his masterpiece,but there are other interesting works such as “la vérité sur Bébé Donge”or “les inconnus dans la maison” .The almost documentary approach of “Razzia sur la chnouff” (about drugs) seems modern even today.And some works which are difficult to see (“Maléfices” “Bonnes à tuer” and “tous peuvent me tuer” probably deserve to be watched).Read More »
Synopsis: Henri, the Man from Nantes, comes back to his country after a successful stay in the United States, where he was working for Liski, the drug dealer. With the fame of being a tough guy preceding him, he sets himself to the task of knowing why the French operations were not so profitable – and soon he is master of all links of the organization. He can now get it honed to perfection – or destroy it. Only… the Police is following his every step! Is Henri what he says he is, or an undercover detective from the French police?Read More »
Retour à l’aube is like Russian (or should we say Hungarian) dolls dreaming of each other : when the dream seems a dead-end or a nightmare, a new one begins in another tone. Danielle Darrieux being the unforgettable doll and key leading to the following dream, following film : drama, comedy, romance, musical, crime, oniric tale, etc… a perfect rainbow directed by Decoin. A film that could be compared to Pierrot le Fou for this rare quality of going through genres and tones as lightly as the air, which I tend more and more to attribute to people having penetrated the secret of cinematic life… or is it just love ? MaybeRead More »
Synopsis: Since his wife left him, almost twenty years ago, the once brilliant lawyer Loursat has slumped into a life of despondency and drunkenness. He lives in a vast empty house with his teenage daughter, Nicole, with whom he hardly communicates. One fateful day, something happens which pulls Loursat back from the abyss: he discovers a dead body in his house. When his daughter and her group of rebellious young friends are charged with the murder, Loursat decides to take charge of the case.Read More »