This film is compelling to watch, and has the typical Carné magic. It is based on a romantic Simenon novel which contains no crime, high drama, murder, or mystery. It is about people, just people. The male lead is played by Jean Gabin in a masterful and well-measured performance. He could easily have overdone it, but he got the tone just right. (After all, Jean Gabin had the ability to steal as many scenes as he wanted to, if he had wanted to, but he was a team player.) The film could have been uninteresting in the wrong hands, but with Carné directing, Gabin starring, and an excellent cast of highly talented actors, it succeeds marvellously in entrancing the viewer. The character Marie, of the title, is an 18 year-old girl played by Nicole Courcel with great intensity. The Port of the title, often spoken of by the characters simply as 'Port', is a fishing town called in the film Port-en-Dessin. It is not far from Cherbourg. The action of the film takes place in both those towns. It is eye-opening to see the lack of traffic, the bare streets and roads, the few people, the horse-drawn carts, the simple sailors, and the entire lack of tourists. That was the France of then! Not the France of now! So we have here a haunting depiction of a lost world of traditional France. They were of course still slowly recovering after the War, and there was no luxury to be found. Gabin plays a successful owner of a large brasserie in Cherbourg called Brasserie Centrale, and he also owns a cinema adjoining it. He is affluent but restless and somewhat bored. For a considerable time he has lived with, but has never married, a beautiful younger woman called Odile, played very well by Blanchette Brunoy. But their relationship has lost its excitement. She spends much of her time lounging in bed, even eating her lunch there. He works too hard. They have tired of each other, but have not yet dared to say so. And there is a considerable age gap. The film starts however in 'Port', with the funeral of Odile's father. The film of that town is really extraordinary, the shabby houses, the women in their long black garments, the complete absence of cars. It might as well be 1700. Odile returns to Port for the funeral, after which all of her large family leave the town in wagons except for her younger sister Marie, who chooses to stay behind and live alone in the house, and work as a waitress and tend the bar in the quaint Café du Port, which is frequented by all the locals, and there is plenty local 'local colour' there too. Gabin has driven Odile to the funeral but chosen not to attend, and sits waiting in the Cafe du Port. Much later on that day, Marie comes in and he meets her for the first time. He is thunderstruck by her strangely arresting personality, her silences and simmering emotions which can be seen swirling under the surface, but she never lets them out. She is one of those deeply intense girls on the threshold of womanhood who does not know which way to turn. She sees before her a vast forest of Life, but which path shall she follow? She has a lust to live, but equally she contemplates suicide. In other words, she is 18. Highly aware that the age gap between him and this girl is much greater even than between him and her older sister, Gabin treats her gruffly and tries to distance himself from what he sees as a hopeless attraction with no possible future. And there are other complications, such as a hysterical boy who is in love with Marie and who really does attempt suicide. It is all very intense stuff, despite Gabin's constant attempts to prevent things getting out of hand. I cannot reveal any of the events which ensue without infringing upon the reviewer's Code of Honour. And so, bowing politely, I take my leave of the French seacoast of 1950 and leave those who wish to partake of this delightful film to discover for themselves the many surprises in store.
Review of La Marie du Port
