Jean Wall

  • Jean Delannoy – La part de l’ombre AKA Blind Desire (1945)

    1941-1950DramaFranceJean DelannoyRomance

    A violinist passes on to his daughter three rings which represent three passions of his romantic past, and urges her to save each for men who truly deserve one.She squanders them all on one man who is undeserving.
    On paper this looks promising; a beautiful actress, Edwige Feuilliere, an actor who’s just come off a starring role opposite Arletty in Les Enfants du paradis, a respected director, Jean Delannoy and one of THE four best scriptwriters in French cinema, Charles Spaak. Sometimes it all goes wrong but always with artists of this calibre in front of and behind the camera there are moments to savour and so it is here. Barrault doesn’t really convince as a violinist whereas Feuilliere has only to convince us she is in love. There are promising visuals and nine times out of ten Delannoy has the camera in the right place and when that is in front of Feuilliere’s face you won’t hear a peep out of me. Interesting as opposed to memorable.Read More »

  • Henri-Georges Clouzot – La terreur des Batignolles (1931)

    1931-1940ComedyFranceHenri-Georges ClouzotShort Film

    A burglar slips inside a middle-class apartment. Believing he could work quietly, he’s surprised by a couple in evening dress.

    An expressionist comedy greatly influenced by German Expressionism set in a bohemian enclave of northern Paris, which Clouzot made shortly before he served as assistant director to Anatole Litvak and E.A. Dupont and began scripting French versions of German films at Berlin’s UFA studios.Read More »

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