Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Louis Jouvet | ... | L'inspecteur adjoint Antoine | |
Simone Renant | ... | Dora Monier | |
Bernard Blier | ... | Maurice Martineau | |
Suzy Delair | ... | Marguerite Chauffournier Martineau, aka Jenny Lamour | |
Pierre Larquey | ... | Emile Lafour, un chauffeur de taxi | |
Jeanne Fusier-Gir | ... | Pâquerette, la dame du vestiaire | |
Claudine Dupuis | ... | Manon | |
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Charles Dullin | ... | Georges Brignon |
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Henri Arius | ... | Léopardi, l' éditeur de musique (as Arius) |
Charles Blavette | ... | Le gendarme Poitevin (as Blavette) | |
René Blancard | ... | Le commissaire principal de la P.J. (as R. Blancard) | |
Robert Dalban | ... | Paulo, un truand (as R. Dalban) | |
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Jean Daurand | ... | L'inspecteur Picard (as J. Daurand) |
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Jean Dunot | ... | Nitram - un chanteur comique (as J. Dunot) |
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Jacques Grétillat | ... | Auguste (as J. Grétillat) |
Jenny Lamour wants to succeed in music hall. Her husband and accompanist is Maurice Martineau, a nice but jealous man. When he knew Jenny is making eyes at Brignon, an old businessman, in order to get some engagements, he looses his temper and threatens Brignon with death. But Jenny went anyway to a rendez-vous at the old man's, who is murdered the same evening. The criminal investigations are lead by Inspector Antoine... Written by Yepok
Henri-Georges Clouzot's film is quiet an example of the french transition cinema. A film between the realism of the postwar cinema and the full-of-magic and symbolism nouvelle vague. With some spots of the American classic films (but not imitating it) the director tales us a story about love, crime and the importance of points of view. We can find great actors too (Suzy Delair is impeccable).
Is interesting too, how we can find aspects of this film nowadays. Quai des Orfèvres inheritance is palpable in Woody Allen tradition. Plunging a crime situation in a picturesque environment. The naive ending is also typical in Steven Spielberg's good-ending films. And finally I would like to point out, the deja voo sensation during the photography session between Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair) and Dora Monier (Simone Renant) in which the first one confess that she thinks her husband is being unfaithful and exactly with the woman who is photographing her. That scene is exactly the one between Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts in Closer (Mike Nichols, 2004).