Panique (1947)

Director:

Julien Duvivier

Writers:

Julien Duvivier (dialogue)
Julien Duvivier (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 November 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In the suburbs of Paris, an old maid has just been murdered. Every body talks about that, except the misanthrope Mr Hire...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Evidence | Older Man Younger Woman Relationship | Peeping Tom | Neighborhood

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Viviane Romance	...	Alice
Michel Simon	...	M. Hire
Max Dalban	...	Capoulade
Émile Drain	...	M. Breteuil
Guy Favières	...	M. Sauvage
Louis Florencie	...	Inspector Marcelin (as Florencie)
Charles Dorat	...	Inspector Michelet
Lucas Gridoux	...	M. Fortin
Marcel Pérès	...	Cermanutti
Lita Recio	...	Marcelle
Michel Ardan	...	Fernand
Michèle Auvray	...	Mme Branchu
Lucien Carol	...	Inspecteur Benoit
Olivier Darrieux	...	Étienne
Josiane Dorée	...	Mouchette

Also Known As:

Panic (USA)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Filmsonor

Movie Connections:

Remade as Monsieur Hire (1989)

Good Suspense

With an interesting story and some good suspense, this mystery/thriller works pretty well despite a lack of any particularly appealing characters. At the beginning, it sets up a complicated situation, and builds at a good pace to lead up to a tense finale. It has quite a low-budget look to it, but with a story of this kind, sometimes that actually fits in rather well.

There is a lot going on right from the beginning. In a neighborhood where a murder has just been committed, there is a young woman coming home from prison, seeking out the lover for whom she took the blame. There is also an unpopular and eccentric resident whom no one can figure out. These and other characters soon get involved in a lengthy cat-and-mouse game that keeps things interesting the rest of the way. It would be even more compelling if at least some of the characters were a little easier to sympathize with, but the story itself is enough to hold your attention. One slight drawback - not a fault of the original film-makers - is that the titles (at least on the English version that seems to be available) are very light and often hard to read, so you miss a few things, unless by chance your French is sharp enough to catch everything.

Overall, it's above average for its genre. If you enjoy film noir or older thrillers, and don't mind a low-budget style, this one should be worth a look.