I just saw this tonight on TFO (Télévision française en Ontario) in a pristine black and white print and a very hopped-up fake stereo soundtrack that gives extra presence to the jazz music, the nightclub atmosphere, the dialog and the sound effects. Everything about this little police story is modern: the camera movements, the naturalism of the interpretation, the Paris slang, the art of the narration, the atmosphere of the criminal milieu, the non-judgemental attitudes. You really feel like you are there. The actors are all superb: Lila Kedrova, Jean Gabin, Dalio, Magali Noël... It's films like these that make you realize that the so-called Nouvelle Vague was really a step backward and a failure on every level (especially the intellectual) besides being a monumental bore. The real dream-weavers and the real avant-garde were the so-called traditionalists like Decoin.
