Jean Gabin

  • Gilles Grangier – Les Vieux de la vieille AKA The Old Guard (1960)

    1951-1960ComedyFranceGilles Grangier
    Les Vieux de la vieille (1960)
    Les Vieux de la vieille (1960)

    The original “grumpy old men,” Jean-Marie (Jean Gabin), Baptiste (Pierre Fresnay), and Blaise (Noel-Noel) raise havoc in this entertaining comedy by director Gilles Grangier. The trio of irritable, temperamental grouchy men abandon their village to go take up residence in a senior citizens’ home. They have a great time playing tricks on others and venting about the inadequacies of modern youth. Each elderly eccentric has his moment in the spotlight, as their story unfolds in an episodic manner. In the end, the retirement-home staff become convinced that taking care of these characters lies above and beyond the call of duty.Read More »

  • Gilles Grangier – Maigret voit rouge AKA Maigret Sees Red (1963)

    France1961-1970CrimeDramaGilles Grangier

    “A man is shot dead in the centre of Paris and the witness to the murder finds himself the next target in a vendetta between American gangsters. Inspector Maigret is charged with protecting the witness and resolving the mystery of the killing….”
    – Films de FranceRead More »

  • Denys de La Patellière – Le tonnerre de Dieu AKA The Thunder of God (1965)

    1961-1970Denys de La PatellièreDramaFrance
    Le tonnerre de Dieu (1965)

    Synopsis:
    ‘Léandre Brassac is an ageing veterinary who lives in a large house near to Nantes with his wife Marie, whom he openly despises and frequently abuses. Léandre resents the fact that his wife has failed to bear him any children, and as a result he has become a violent and moody old man, contemptuous of others and all too willing to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Whilst he may loathe people, Brassac shows a remarkable tenderness for animals, especially the dogs who have become his closest companions in his declining years. During one of his night-time excursions to Nantes, Brassac runs into a prostitute named Simone. Concerned by the young woman’s plight, he invites her to live with him and his wife.’
    – James TraversRead More »

  • Jean Grémillon – Remorques aka Stormy Waters (1941)

    1941-1950DramaFranceJean Grémillon

    Summary
    This tender, muscular, fatalistic film rematches Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan (after Le quai des brumes) in an anguished love triangle with Madeleine Renaud, Grémillon’s favorite actress. Love, obligation and desire play out against the backdrop of the merciless ocean and the seductive escape of sea-going.

    Laurent (Gabin) is a tugboat owner who rescues a merchant vessel from a violent sea. Besides its unscrupulous captain, the rescued ship’s most dangerous cargo is his restless and seductive wife (Morgan). Meanwhile, Gabin’s devoted but ailing wife (Renaud) waits impatiently for him at home…

    As dbdumonteil notes, the plot is banal… but Gabin, Prévert and Armand Thirard’s luminous lighting paint it in forty shades of grey.
    (filmnutz)Read More »

  • Henri Verneuil – Le clan des siciliens AKA The Sicilian Clan (1969)

    Drama1961-1970CrimeFranceHenri Verneuil

    International superstars Alain Delon (Le Samouraï), Jean Gabin (Touchez Pas au Grisbi) and Lino Ventura (Le Deuxième Souffle) star in this action-packed thriller that delivers white-knuckle suspense from its exciting opening chase to its thrilling conclusion. Aging Sicilian mobster Vittorio Manalese (Gabin) springs master thief and hit man Roger Sartet (Delon) from prison so he can help him pull off the most ambitious heist of his illustrious career, which includes hijacking a New York–bound plane and transporting 50 million dollars in jewels. But after the audacious crime, Sartet betrays the crime boss and the two partners in crime become engaged in a tense game of cat-and-mouse and a no-holds-barred battle of wit and bravado.Read More »

  • Gilles Grangier – Le rouge est mis AKA Speaking of Murder (1957)

    1951-1960CrimeFilm NoirFranceGilles Grangier

    Louis Bertain is the owner of a Paris garage which is the front for a robbery gang. He and his accomplices are careful to keep up a civic veneer by day, indulging in criminal activities only when “the red light is on” at night. This status quo is upset when one of the gang members becomes convinced that Louis’ younger brother is a police informer.Read More »

  • Marcel Carné – L’Air de Paris AKA Air of Paris (1954)

    Marcel Carné1951-1960ClassicsDramaFranceQueer Cinema(s)

    Plot
    Though filmmaker Marcel Carne was no longer considered a trendsetter in the French cinema in the 1950s, his films still turned a profit and pleased the crowd. Heading the cast of Carne’s L’Air de Paris is Jean Gabin, the star of the director’s earlier Daybreak and other films. Gabin plays Victor, an over-the-hill boxer who hopes to train his ring successor. One of his proteges is railroad worker Andre (Roland Lesaffre), who is hated on sight by Victor’s wife Blanche (Arletty). Before long, the irresponsible Andre proves that Blanche was right when he abandons his training in favor of a flashy floozie (Marie Daems). The ending of the film is Pure Hollywood, no matter what language the actors are speaking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideRead More »

  • Marcel Carné – La Marie du port AKA Marie of the Port (1950)

    Marcel Carné1941-1950DramaFranceRomance

    Synopsis:
    Recovering from his disastrous experience with the never-completed La Fleur de L’Age, French filmmaker Marcel Carne proved he hadn’t lost his touch with La Marie du Port. Played by Nicole Courcel, the eponymous Marie is the younger sister of Odile (Blanchette Burnoy). Odile in turn is the mistress of been-there-done-that Chatelard (Jean Gabin). Upon meeting Marie, Chatelard’s cynicism melts away. Still, he merely toys with the girl’s affections–at least until he discovers that Odile is carrying on an affair with Marie’s boyfriend. Chatelard stops Marie from committing suicide, and for the first time in his life really means it when he pledges his undying devotion. Like many French films of the era, La Marie du Port was but a shadow of its former self when the American censors got through with it.Read More »

  • Claude Autant-Lara – La Traversée de Paris AKA Pigs Across Paris AKA Four Bags Full (1956)

    Claude Autant-Lara1951-1960DramaFrance

    Two men, a painter and a poor guy have to cross over Paris by night during world war II and nazi occupation to deliver black market meat. As they walk along dark parisian streets they encounter various characters and adventures.Read More »

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