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The Flesh is Weak

Original title: Le mura di Malapaga
  • 1949
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
938
YOUR RATING
The Flesh is Weak (1949)
DramaRomance

A French fugitive arrives in Genoa, where he becomes entangled with an Italian woman and her daughter.A French fugitive arrives in Genoa, where he becomes entangled with an Italian woman and her daughter.A French fugitive arrives in Genoa, where he becomes entangled with an Italian woman and her daughter.

  • Director
    • René Clément
  • Writers
    • Jean Aurenche
    • Pierre Bost
    • Cesare Zavattini
  • Stars
    • Jean Gabin
    • Isa Miranda
    • Vera Talchi
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    938
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • René Clément
    • Writers
      • Jean Aurenche
      • Pierre Bost
      • Cesare Zavattini
    • Stars
      • Jean Gabin
      • Isa Miranda
      • Vera Talchi
    • 11User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos14

    Vera Talchi in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Jean Gabin and Vera Talchi in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Jean Gabin, Isa Miranda, and Vera Talchi in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Robert Dalban and Jean Gabin in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Jean Gabin and Isa Miranda in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Jean Gabin and Isa Miranda in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Jean Gabin and Isa Miranda in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Jean Gabin and Isa Miranda in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    Andrea Checchi and Jean Gabin in The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    The Flesh is Weak (1949)
    The Flesh is Weak (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean Gabin
    Jean Gabin
    • Pierre Arrignon
    Isa Miranda
    Isa Miranda
    • Marta Manfredini
    Vera Talchi
    • Cecchina, la fille de Marta…
    Andrea Checchi
    Andrea Checchi
    • Giuseppe, le mari de Marta…
    Robert Dalban
    Robert Dalban
    • Le marin…
    Ave Ninchi
    Ave Ninchi
    • Maria, la voisine…
    Checco Rissone
    Checco Rissone
    • Le faux-monnayeur…
    Renato Malavasi
    • Le dentiste…
    Carlo Tamberlani
    Carlo Tamberlani
    • Le commissaire…
    Vittorio Duse
    Vittorio Duse
    • L'agent…
    Marietta Campello
      Agnese Dubbini
      • La patronne de l'auberge
      • (uncredited)
      • …
      Claudio Ermelli
      Claudio Ermelli
      • Le curé
      • (uncredited)
      • …
      Alessandro Fersen
        Fulvia Fulvi
        • Laura, la petite voisine
        • (uncredited)
        • …
        Giuseppe Garello
        • Il custode
        • (uncredited)
        Franca Lumachi
          Gino Passarelli
            • Director
              • René Clément
            • Writers
              • Jean Aurenche
              • Pierre Bost
              • Cesare Zavattini
            • All cast & crew
            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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            Character
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            Storyline

            Edit

            Did you know

            Edit
            • Trivia
              Italian censorship visa #5706 delivered on 19 September 1949.
            • Quotes

              Pierre Arrignon: [to a Monk asking for a donation] I'm broke.

              Monk: As long as there is good...

              Pierre Arrignon: But there isn't any.

            • Connections
              Featured in Le ciné-club de Radio-Canada: Film présenté: Au-delà des grilles (1956)

            User reviews11

            Review
            Review
            Featured review
            10/10
            The Movie, Like Its Characters, Deserves a Better Fate
            The copy of this movie that I watched on TCM was a poor one. It looked like a bad 16 mm. print; the subtitles were hard to read because they were fuzzy and the portion of the frame might have a white or black background. Given that this won the Best Foreign Picture Oscar, it seems strange that Criterion, the print's source, would be satisfied with a bad print.

            The story of this French-Italian co-production is a simple one: Gabin is a fugitive from France, where he has murdered a woman. He gets off ship in Genoa because he has a toothache and has his wallet stolen, meets Isa Miranda and her daughter, Vera Talchi, and they all fall in love. Miss Talchi is a fugitive herself, from Marseilles. Her wife-beating husband has just gotten out of jail and wants his punching bag back.

            In broad, this movie could have turned out like one of the movies Gabin had made with Duvivier back in the 1930s, full of Poetic Realism. Now, however, the Second World War has destroyed the world,and there is no poetry left, just bombed-out buildings for people to live in, and dentists who pull your teeth for 450 lire -- 800 if you want anesthesia. Director Rene Clement and DP Louis Page give us a tired, ugly world where people are hungry for a little kindness, simply because it has grown so rare. It's a great movie and I hope someone locates and makes available a good copy before it is forgotten.
            helpful•17
            1
            • boblipton
            • Mar 27, 2018

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            Details

            Edit
            • Release date
              • March 26, 1950 (United States)
            • Countries of origin
              • Italy
              • France
            • Languages
              • Italian
              • French
            • Also known as
              • The Walls of Malapaga
            • Filming locations
              • Genoa, Liguria, Italy(Exterior)
            • Production companies
              • Italia Produzione
              • Francinex
            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

            Technical specs

            Edit
            • Runtime
              1 hour 29 minutes
            • Color
              • Black and White
            • Aspect ratio
              • 1.37 : 1

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