Adapted from a novel by Jacques Prevert, Port of Shadows (Quai des brumes) stars that eternal victim of society, Jean Gabin. Having deserted the French army, Gabin ducks into a back alley and meets the lovely Michelle Morgan. He becomes her champion by taking on her evil "protectors" (Michel Simon, Pierre Brasseur), but loses his last bid for freedom--and his life--in the process. Irredeemably gloomy, Port of Shadows was a primary influence in the "film noir" genre pursued by Hollywood in the
1940s. The film was the first of three collaborations between writer Jacques Prevert and director Marcel Carne, culminating in the incomparable Les Enfants du Paradis (1944). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
It's a thorough-going study in blacks and grays, without a free laugh in it; but it is also a remarkably beautiful motion picture from the purely pictorial standpoint and a strangely haunting drama.
This marvelous distillation of the prevailing mood in prewar France was the first feature to win critical acclaim for the directing-writing team of Marcel Carne and Jacques Prevert.
One of the reasons the French so readily accepted the American film noir of the 1940s is because they already had it in the 1930s, and this crime drama is proof of that.
Despite the hospitality of any character in the film, Port of Shadows is a clinical tragedy, and its characters are sentenced to suffer the instant they enter the film.
A pleasure to watch, and there's much to recommend it. But, like that other poetic realist stalwart Pépé le Moko, what's best about it is its atmosphere of romance.
This isn't always cheerful viewing but the startling photography, moody performances and Prévert's poetic script all contribute to its quiet but long-lasting influence.
an excellent thriller/mystery from marcel carne about a wandering soldier running from his past, but is unable to run from himself. the film has great performances, especially from gabin, and has a perfect running time to tell a simple story but keep the intrigue.
May 22, 2010
danny d
Super Reviewer
The key word here seems to be "atmospheric". This is a film that permeates your space. Jean Gabin (àlaThe Grand Illusion) is tailor-made for characters with tortured souls and hidden secrets. Wonderfully effective French noir.
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