Moontide (1942)

After a drunken binge on the San Pablo waterfront, longshoreman Bobo fears he may have killed a man. In his uncertainty, he takes a job on an isolated bait barge. That night, he rescues ... See full summary »

Directors:

Archie Mayo, Fritz Lang (uncredited)

Writers:

John O'Hara (screen play), Willard Robertson (from the novel by)

Stars:

Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Gabin	...	Bobo
Ida Lupino	...	Anna
Thomas Mitchell	...	Tiny
Claude Rains	...	Nutsy
Jerome Cowan	...	Dr. Frank Brothers
Helene Reynolds	...	Woman on boat
Ralph Byrd	...	Rev. Wilson
William Halligan	...	Bartender
Victor Sen Yung	...	Takeo (as Sen Yung)
Chester Gan	...	Henry Hirota
Robin Raymond	...	Mildred
Arthur Aylesworth	...	Pop Kelly
Arthur Hohl	...	Jennings
John Kelly	...	Mac
Ralph Dunn	...	Policeman

Storyline

After a drunken binge on the San Pablo waterfront, longshoreman Bobo fears he may have killed a man. In his uncertainty, he takes a job on an isolated bait barge. That night, he rescues lovely Anna from a watery suicide attempt and installs her on the barge. But Tiny, Bobo's longtime pal and parasite, hopes to drive Anna away before domestic bliss tears Bobo away from him; the still unsolved murder may be just the wedge Tiny needs. There's fog on the water and evil brewing...

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Plot Keywords:

attempted suicide | frenchman abroad | friend | drunkenness | longshoreman | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nacht im Hafen

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Archie Mayo replaced Fritz Lang as director.

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Quotes

Takeo: Pop was an awful pest, especially when he was drunk, but to choke an old guy like that, gee whiz.
Bobo: Choke?
Takeo: Yep, that's the way he done it, choked him to death. Just got him by the throat and hung on until it was all over.

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Connections

Featured in Dreaming with Scissors: Hitchcock, Surrealism & Salvador Dali (2008)

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Soundtracks

Tiger Rag
(uncredited)
Written by Edwin B. Edwards, Henry Ragas, Larry Shields, Edwin B. Edwards and Tony Sbarbaro (collectively as The Original Dixieland Jazz Band)

User Reviews

Gabin's return.

After a three-year gap ,this was Gabin's return.It is hard to gauge it accurately cause in the 1937-1939 years ,an era when French cinema was arguably the best in the world ,he starred in at least five masterpieces ("la Grande Illusion" and "la Bête Humaine" by Jean Renoir,"Quai des Brumes" and (my favorite) "Le Jour se lève " by Marcel Carné ,and finally Jean Gremillon's "remorques") .All that he would do afterward would necessarily be a let-down.

"Moontide" is not in the same league as his previous French performances but it is nevertheless an interesting work for any Gabin fan.The actor integrates well in an American cast (and the cast includes earnest thespians such as Ida Lupino,Claude Rains and Thomas Mitchell)and his English is quite good (don't forget that Gabin was essentially an autodidact ,which is much to his credit;His contemporary equivalent for that matter is Gerard Depardieu) The screenplay may not be very exciting -and it's full of holes at that- but the atmosphere -which recalls sometimes "quai des brumes" - and Gabin's character -who,like Lantier in "la Bete Humaine" ,has an ominous past:wasn't his father a criminal brute?- are all that matters .

For his second (and last) American movie,Gabin was directed by his compatriot (who put him on the map with "la Bandera" ) Julien Duvivier .