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Probably Duvivier's pre-war peak.His pessimism reaches here such unbelievable heights that we're brooding all along the movie and long after having seen it.The subject is a depressing one:some kind of "sunset boulevard" of the theater.Located in an old people's home for actors and actresses ,most of them short of the readies.Humiliating to a fault,for those who have been legendary figures of the theater,once gods for an ungrateful public.Who remembers them now?Who remembers Norma Desmond/Gloria Swanson?Duvuvier's depiction of the house is cruel and ruthless:two old residents fighting because one of them had a bigger piece of sausage,shots in close-up of the tired,wrinkled,wizened faces,spiteful gossips,wickedness...A menace hangs over the house as a sword of Damocles:their house might close soon,because they're running out of money,and they might be dispersed.Because,if the relationships ooze hatred,contempt,jealousy and rancor ,the greatest disgrace would be to end up in a ordinary old people's home with the riffraff.Hope against hope survives among in this God-forsaken world:An old Don Juan (Jouvet) thinks that he's always a ladykiller .An actor (Michel Simon) who was all his life an understudy tries to shine on the stage for an ultimate night,but fails dismally.Another one,( Victor FRancen,the hero of "j'accuse")whose wife has always been unfaithful (she used to sleep with Jouvet),tries to end his life with dignity."La fin du jour" (the end of the day") is A hard time for everybody, but particularly for those who 've been adored by the masses,downfall is unbearable.Forgetting for once his legendary pessimism,Duvivier closes this somber meditation by a funeral:during this twilight glow scene,all the actors and actresses all stand together to say goodbye to one of them.Francen delivers a speech full of nostalgia and warmth.The show must go on,long live the show.And long live Duvivier!!!!!
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