"l'Affaire Des Poisons" was directed by Henri Decoin, who directed a few classics od French Film Noir ("La Fille Du Diable", "Non Coupable", "Entre Onze Heures Et Minuit", "Razzia Sur La Chnouf" and very less known but a true masterpiece, "Maléfices" from Boileau and Narcejac). "L'Affaire des Poisons" can be included in Decoin's Noir filmography, the story of Madame de Montespan being quite strong. Danielle Darrieux is perfect as Madame de Montespan, cultivated and playful, so are Viviane Romance and Paul Meurisse as the two sinister "baddies" selling poisons and black masses. The settings are sometimes poor but the Gothic coloured photography (very rare in french cinema at that time) show some dramatic night scenes, which make me think of Hammer fantastic movies.
Review of The Case of Poisons
