Stormy Waters (1941) Remorques (original title)

Director:

Jean Grémillon

Writers:

Roger Vercel (novel) &
Jacques Prévert (scenario) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 June 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Andre Laurent, the captain of a tugboat, married Yvonne ten years ago. She has a heart disease but does not want to tell him...

Plot Keywords:

Captain | Sea | Rescue | Love | Atlantic Ocean

Cast

Jean Gabin	...	Le capitaine André Laurent
Madeleine Renaud	...	Yvonne Laurent (as Madeleine Renaud de la Comédie Francaise)
Michèle Morgan	...	Catherine
Charles Blavette	...	Gabriel Tanguy (as Blavette)
Jean Marchat	...	Marc, le capitaine du 'Mirva'
Nane Germon	...	Renée Tanguy
Jean Dasté	...	Le radio (as Jean Daste)
René Bergeron	...	Georges (as Bergeron)
Henri Poupon	...	Le docteur Maulette (as Poupon)
Anne Laurens	...	Marie Poubennec
Marcel Pérès	...	Le Meur (as Perez)
Marcel Duhamel	...	Pierre Poubennec (as Duhamel)
Henri Pons	...	Roger (as Pons)
Sinoël	...	L'armateur
Fernand Ledoux	...	Kerlo, le bosco
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Léonce Corne	...	Un invité à la noce (uncredited)
Lucien Coëdel	...	Un marin du 'Cyclope' (uncredited)
Henri Crémieux	...	L'administrateur (uncredited)
Alain Cuny	...	Un matelot du 'Mirva' (uncredited)
Robert Dhéry	...	Un matelot au mariage (uncredited)
Marc Doelnitz	...	(uncredited)
Geller	...	Petit rôle (uncredited)
Robert Le Ray	...	(uncredited)
Georges Malkine	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Marcel Melrac	...	Un marin du 'Cyclope' (uncredited)
Raymone	...	La bonne de l'hôtel (uncredited)
Max Rogerys	...	Petit rôle (uncredited)
Paul Violette	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Jean Grémillon

Writing credits
Roger Vercel		(novel)
Roger Vercel		adaptation (uncredited) &
Jacques Prévert		scenario &
André Cayatte		adaptation
Jacques Prévert		(dialogue)
Charles Spaak		(adaptation) uncredited
Georges Combot		uncredited

Original Music by
Roland Manuel		(as Roland-Manuel)

Cinematography by
Armand Thirard		(as A. Thirard)

Film Editing by
Yvonne Martin

Production Design by
Alexandre Trauner

Makeup Department
Acho Chakatouny	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Louis Wipf	....	unit production manager
Roland Tual	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis Daquin	....	assistant director
Max Slater	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Joseph de Bretagne	....	sound (as de Bretagne)

Special Effects by
Nicolas Wilcké	....	special effects coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Louis Née	....	camera operator (as L. Née)
Emmanuel Lowenthal	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Roger Desormière	....	musical director (as Roger Désormières)

Production Companies

• Maítrise Artisanale de l'Industrie Cinematographique (MAIC)
• Sedis

Distributors

• Films Sonores Tobis (1941) (France) (theatrical)
• Compagnia Edizioni Internazionali Artistiche Distribuzione (CEIAD) (1941) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1946) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• MK2 (????) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (194?) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Yesteryear

Other Companies

• Western Electric  sound recording system

Also Known As:

"Remorques" - France (original title)
"Misty Wharves" - International (English title) (alternative title)

Runtime:

West Germany:91 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Brazil:18 | France:U (Visa #806) | Finland:K-11 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Pointe du Petit Minou, Finistère, France

Company:

Maítrise Artisanale de l'Industrie Cinematographique (MAIC)

Trivia:

The rights for the novel by Roger Vercel had been acquired by the German film company Universum Film A.G. (better known as 'UFA') in 1935. Raoul Ploquin, head of the French branch of UFA, first asked writer Charles Spaak to write a scenario based on Vercel's novel. Dissatisfied with the result, André Cayatte was asked to take over but the project was quickly shelved. UFA subsequently sold the rights to Joseph Lucachevitch, director of the company 'Societé d'Exploitation et de Distribution de Films' (known as SEDIF), based in France, who invited Jacques Prévert to re-write the scenario and dialogue.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Une semaine de vacances (1980)

Oceano nox

The making of "Remorques" began in 1939,as a follow-up to the excellent "l'étrange Monsieur Victor",and because of the Occupation,was released two years later.That also explains the length of the movie (hardly 80 minutes in the broadcast versions).

It's a simple story:the plot involves a tough sailor,Gabin,torn between two women ,the frail Madeleine Renaud,Gremillon's favorite actress (she was featured in all of his four movies of the 1938-1943 period),and the disillusioned Michèle Morgan (with whom he had teamed up in Carné's famous "quai des brumes").

The banal plot matters much less than the atmosphere;the star of the movie is the Ocean:you can hear,feel or see it ceaselessly along the viewing.This ocean which nobody can tame,which breaks willpower.For man must work and woman must weep..

SPOILERS: The ending climaxes the movie.A distraught incredulous Gabin gazes at his dead wife whilst a lugubrious siren desperately wails there down by the ocean.Then the man,forgetting his plight,walks across the harbor to come to the rescue of the boat in distress:you can hear voices chanting prayers for the dead as he makes his way through darkness .This ending has the strength of an epic Victor Hugo poem.