Port of Shadows (1938)

A military deserter finds love and trouble (and a small dog) in a smoky French port city.

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writers:

Pierre Dumarchais (novel) (as Pierre Mac Orlan), Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean Gabin	...	Jean
Michel Simon	...	Zabel
Michèle Morgan	...	Nelly
Pierre Brasseur	...	Lucien
Édouard Delmont	...	Panama (as Delmont)
Raymond Aimos	...	Quart Vittel (as Aimos)
Robert Le Vigan	...	Le peintre (as Le Vigan)
René Génin	...	Le docteur (as Genin)
Marcel Pérès	...	Le chauffeur (as Perez)
Jenny Burnay	...	L'amie de Lucien
Roger Legris	...	Le garçon d'hôtel (as Legris)
Martial Rèbe	...	Le client

Storyline

Life's a rotten business, says Jean, a deserter who arrives at night in Le Havre, looking to leave the country. He lucks into civilian clothes, a little bit of money, a passport, and a dog, and he also meets Nelly, a 17-year-old who's grown up too fast. She's the object of lust of men: including a boyfriend Maurice, her putative protector Zabel, and Lucien, a local hood. Jean falls for her, faces down Lucien, and gives her courage to stand on her own feet. A ship is leaving for Venezuela; can at least one of them be on it, or is that just a dream?

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Plot Keywords:

port | male slaps a male | on the run | plan gone wrong | plan | 

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Taglines:

Winner of Six International Awards

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

To make the film more relevant to a late 1930s audience, writer Jacques Prevert updated the period of the original book, which was the World War One year of 1914, to the pre World War II year of 1938.

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Goofs

As the truck approaches Le Havre, Jean's cigarette is at full length in the shot from outside the truck, but in the close-up it has instantly changed into a butt.

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Quotes

Le peintre: Some people go fishing or hunting or go to war. Others commit crimes of passion. Some commit suicide. You have to kill someone.
Quart Vittel: That's life.

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Connections

Referenced in Un compositeur pour le cinéma: Maurice Jaubert (1985)

User Reviews

Engaging, provoking theatre

Interesting what a contrast this movie makes to Carne's "The Children of Paradise". The two are almost complete opposites where mise-en-scene is concerned, and yet more interesting is that they both show a filmmaker with a craft of form and expression that rises beyond most other filmmakers, including his contemporaries.

"Port of Shadows" is about a French army deserter (Jean Gabin, wonderful as usual) who attempts to flee the nation in order to finally begin a life away from the bad luck that's always held him. He appears at a small port town, immediately falls in love, and sets off a chain of events that show an inherent fatalism with a sense of humor, tragedy, and substance.

This movie has one of those scripts that's very appealing in the way that it sends characters wandering through the mists, and yet somehow everything comes together and ties up all loose ends by the end. Adding to it the moody, brooding cinematography filled with fog and smoke, and one can't help but immerse oneself gladly into a different world. Also, Carne adds a sense of theatricality and the Carnivalesque that even Fellini couldn't compare to.

This is definitely a film that well deserves being called "a classic of French cinema." --PolarisDiB

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

29 October 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Port of Shadows

Filming Locations:

Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,618, 16 September 2012

Gross USA:

$27,389

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,623

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ciné-Alliance

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1