Quai des Orfèvres
Quai des Orfèvres | |
---|---|
Directed by | Henri-Georges Clouzot |
Screenplay by | Henri-Georges Clouzot Jean Ferry |
Based on | Légitime défense 1942 book by Stanislas-André Steeman |
Produced by | Roger de Venloo |
Starring | Louis Jouvet Suzy Delair Bernard Blier Simone Renant |
Cinematography | Armand Thirard |
Edited by | Charles Bretoneiche |
Music by | Francis Lopez |
Distributed by | Coronis |
Release date | 3 October 1947 |
Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Quai des Orfèvres (French:
The film was Clouzot's third directorial effort, and the first after the controversy of
Plot
Paris, December 1946. Jenny Lamour (Delair) wants to succeed in the theatre. Her husband and accompanist is Maurice Martineau (Blier), a mild-mannered but jealous man. When he finds out that Jenny has been making eyes at Brignon, a lecherous old businessman, in order to further her career, he loses his temper and threatens Brignon with death. Despite this, Jenny goes to a secret rendezvous at Brignon's apartment. He is murdered the same evening. The criminal investigations are led by Inspector Antoine (Jouvet).
Production
Quai des Orfèvres was directed by
When trying to find a copy of Légitime défense to re-read, Clouzot found that it was out of print. Clouzot wrote a letter to Steeman to obtain a copy and began to adapt the story from memory with writer Jean Ferry. By the time a copy of the book arrived, Clouzot and Ferry had already written the script which deviated greatly from Steeman's novel. The changes in the script include the identity of the real murderer, the settings of the action, and the introduction of the lesbian photographer character Dora Monier.[4][5]
Quai des Orfèvres was also a comeback film for director-actor Louis Jouvet with whom Clouzot had become good friends before World War II. Jouvet accepted the part of Inspector Antoine on the condition that a flexible shooting schedule would be allowed and that Clouzot would cast some of Jouvet's troupe members in the film.[4] Clouzot agreed and cast Leo Lapara as one of Antoine's colleagues and Fernand René as the music hall director.[4] Clouzot cast Charles Dullin as Brignon, the murder victim. It would be the last film appearance for Dullin, who died in 1949. The main female lead was written for Suzy Delair who was Clouzot's romantic partner at the time of filming. The film went into production on 3 February 1947 and finished filming on 10 May.[4]
Cast
- Suzy Delair as Marguerite Chauffournier, alias Jenny Lamour
- Bernard Blier as Maurice Martineau
- Louis Jouvet as Inspector Antoine
- Simone Renant as Dora Monnier
- Pierre Larquey as Emile Lafour
- Jeanne Fusier-Gir as Pâquerette
- Claudine Dupuis as Manon
- Charles Dullin as Brignon
- Henri Arius as Léopardi
- Jacques Grétillat as Auguste
- Yvonne Ménard[6][7] as dancer
Release and reception
Quai des Orfèvres was released on 3 October 1947 in Paris.[8] In 1947, it was the fourth most popular film in France, drawing 5.5 million spectators.[9] The film has had several theatrical revivals in France since its original release.[4] The film was released in New York City in March 1948 under the title Jenny Lamour.[4][10] Quai des orfèvres was re-released for a limited run within America on 25 October 2002.[11][12]
Critical reception
The film received positive reception from critics on its initial release in France. Pierre Chartier of France-Libre wrote that the film was "a watershed in the history of the French crime film."
Modern reception of the film has also been positive. French critics have continued to praise the film since its release. In 1964
Home media
Quai des Orfèvres was released in North America on DVD by
References
- ^ Criterion Collection. Retrieved 20 October 2011.aspect, as can be seen from the fact that when he couldn't turn up a copy of the source novel by the prolific Belgian pulp writer Stanislas-André Steeman, he adapted it from memory, leaving only faint traces of the original story.
Quai des Orfèvres is nominally a policier—a crime story, less a mystery than a police procedural; its title, referring to the Parisian equivalent of Scotland Yard, announces it....Clouzot himself was not especially interested in the whodunit
- ^ Le Corbeau (Back cover). Henri-Georges Clouzot. New York City, United States: The Criterion Collection. 2004 [1942]. 227.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ISBN 0-7800-2786-8. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Borger, Lenny (2002). "Production Notes on the "Quai" of Inspector Clouzot". Film Forum. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ Mayne 2007, p.88
- ^ Simiac, Pierre (November 1980). "Quai des Orfèvres". Polar, le Magazine du Policier (in French). 1 (15): 63 – via Internet Archive.
- LCCN 95010539. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Borger, Lenny (2002). "Production Credits". Film Forum. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ Lloyd 2007, p. 30
- ^ a b Crowther, Bosley (8 March 1948). "'Jenny Lamour,' French Crime Film, Stars Louis Jouvet, Playing the Detective" (requires subscription). The New York Times: 17. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- ^ "About Rialto". Rialto Pictures. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Quai des Orfèvres (re-release): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ Crisp, 1997. p 427
- ^ Coe, Richard L. (4 May 1948). "Realism Etches French Whodunit". The Washington Post. p. 16. Archived from the original (requires subscription) on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- ^ "Quai des Orfevres Review". Variety. 1947. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ "The Edgar Awards Database (search "Clouzot")". TheEdgars.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ Lloyd 2007, p. 63
- ^ "Quai des Orfèvres". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Quai des Orfevres [Criterion Collection]: Overview". Allmovie. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Optimum Releasing: Quai des Orfevres". Allmovie. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Quai des Orfèvres". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ "Quai des Orfèvres". Kino Lorber. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
Sources
- Crisp, Colin (1997). The Classic French Cinema, 1930–1960. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21115-8. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- Mayne, Judith (2007). Le corbeau: French film guides series. ISBN 978-1-84511-370-4.
- Lloyd, Christopher (2007). Henri-Georges Clouzot. ISBN 978-0-7190-7014-3.
External links
- Quai des Orfèvres at AllMovie
- Quai des Orfèvres at IMDb
- Quai des Orfèvres at the TCM Movie Database
- Quai des Orfèvres at AllMovie
- Quai des Orfèvres at Rotten Tomatoes
- Quai des Orfèvres an essay by Criterion Collection