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The cast--most of them anyway--from Paris Police 1900 are back, and we are satisfied that the attention to detail that marked the first series has carried forward here. Jeremie Laheurthe plays Jouin as rigidly as before--God, this man is boring--but there are fascinating characters around him. Meg Steinheil is as cold and calculating as ever, and her doomed husband Alphonse, the painter who's slowly going mad with syphilis, is both touching and repellent.

The ambience of the Bois de Boulogne is well described, men cruising for sex in the winter mist (excellent cinematography here) under the watchful eyes of the police. The morals squad is as disgusting as you would expect, given the time and the social conditions. An excellent evocation of Paris of a century ago.

Despite some inconsistencies in the plot--I can't figure out why Mathieu's in debt, he doesn't have expensive tastes--this is a pretty gripping murder thriller. Plagiary has been used before (remember Morvern Callar when the girl steals her dead boyfriend's book) but rarely with such entertaining results. To go from labourer to acclaimed novelist must be the dream of many; here it really happens. Pierre Niney has made some fine films in the last few years--Yves Saint Laurent, Frantz--here he shows how desperate this man can get when he's cornered. Ana Girardot plays his fiancee; she's somewhat spoiled but that doesn't prevent her from starting to suspect Mathieu's intentions. Marc Barbe plays a really slimy blackmailer, dripping with malice and faux-friendliness. Great cast, fine entertainment.

Here's a real curiosity. This film isn't mentioned in my film guides; it seems to have disappeared from view over the decades, and the stars have all died young or had their careers cut short for various reasons. Dominique Laffin had a promising career in film--she was excellent in comedy--but died at 33. Bertrand Bonvoisin died of cancer at 39. Marie-Helene Breillat, sister of the director, had to give up her career owing to mental problems. Only Catherine Breillat has gone on to a solid career.

So, what of TAPAGE NOCTURNE? It's a feeble effort about a girl who sleeps around for no real reason; the production is almost primitive, sets austere (no money), script weak. I gave up trying to analyze the characters' motivations--they didn't appear to have any. Laffin wasn't even given any real zingers to liven things up; all she had to do was show us her splendid breasts. I must thank Criterion Channel for allowing me to see this.