With approximately 170 film and television adaptations to his credit Georges Simenon is arguably the most filmed writer of the twentieth century but though the Maigret association is indelible Simenon actually wrote his fair share of non-Maigret novels most of them either straightforward or else psychological thrillers. This ridiculously neglected effort made during the Occupation comes under the non-Maigret heading and apart from being a terrific movie there are dozens of reasons for seeking it out, not least an uncredited Simone Signoret, who was putting in her share of 'extra' work that year as she also turned up in Les Visiteurs du soir in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance. This is far and away the best film of director Louis Daquin - apart from this his best work was as Assistant Director on L'Entraineuse and Remorques - though in the opening scenes it is clear he has been frightened by Quai des Brumes as he limns the arrival of Jean Desailly who is returning to his fog-shrouded home town newly affluent via an inheritance. There he renews contact with the 'syndicate' the 'self-proclaimed' leading family who despised Desailly's parents because they were Music Hall performers. Jules Berry is in his element as one of the most venal but Serge Reggiani, Gabrielle Fontan and Louis Seigner are also on hand and in fact virtually the entire large cast distinguishes itself in this one. One to seek out and keep.
3 Reviews
A must for French cine buffs.
dbdumonteil21 February 2003
Warning: Spoilers
An unfairly underrated movie (on the site!)!ALL Chabrol fans should see it because most of this directors' issues ,that is to say the bourgeoisie horror ,are already here in Louis Daquin's excellent "voyageur de la Toussaint",from a George Simenon's novel.
A young man comes back to his hometown to be confronted with a bourgeois obnoxious family who has always despised his -now dead - parents because they were music hall artists ,"entertainers".But because he's the sole legatee of an uncle's fortune,his relatives become friendly with him.. at least for a while.
the cast is absolutely terrific gathering the crème de la crème of the actors of the era:Jules Berry,who was one of Marcel Carné's favorite actors ("les visiteurs du soir " and "le jour se lève") as well as Renoir 's ("le crime de Monsieur Lange") an who portrays a hateful repugnant business man;Gabrielle Dorziat,in a terrifying part of an over-possessive mother whose son (Serge Reggiani,who takes cynism to new limits) is an out -and-out scoundrel:and yet she's still fascinated by him,she always admire him;Jean Desailly (debut)as the innocent young man gives a sensitive and heart-warming performance.His smile lightens this dark atmosphere along with that of his uncle 's young widow,an ex-usherette whom the whole family despises as well.
The detective plot involves blackmail,bribes,poisoning and even whodunit.The family calls itself "the syndicate" because of its power and its influence on the whole town.
Filmed during the Occupation,"le voyageur de la toussaint" is not unlike Henri-Georges Clouzot's "le corbeau" released the same year:the depiction of a rotten microcosm.The main difference lies in Desailly's character :in Clouzot's work no just can redeem Sodom.Here this young
virtuous upholder of the law prevents the movie from being "scandalous" and outlawed from society as "le corbeau" was.
SPOILER SPOILER:nevertheless there are elements of the Vichy government propaganda :the bad mother whom I mention above is a good example of it:of course she's the criminal but she was anyway well before poisoning her brother because ,in Vichy's mind,a woman was born to bring up her children carefully.The scene in which she confesses her crime climaxes the movie:Daquin uses depth of field with startling results.
A young man comes back to his hometown to be confronted with a bourgeois obnoxious family who has always despised his -now dead - parents because they were music hall artists ,"entertainers".But because he's the sole legatee of an uncle's fortune,his relatives become friendly with him.. at least for a while.
the cast is absolutely terrific gathering the crème de la crème of the actors of the era:Jules Berry,who was one of Marcel Carné's favorite actors ("les visiteurs du soir " and "le jour se lève") as well as Renoir 's ("le crime de Monsieur Lange") an who portrays a hateful repugnant business man;Gabrielle Dorziat,in a terrifying part of an over-possessive mother whose son (Serge Reggiani,who takes cynism to new limits) is an out -and-out scoundrel:and yet she's still fascinated by him,she always admire him;Jean Desailly (debut)as the innocent young man gives a sensitive and heart-warming performance.His smile lightens this dark atmosphere along with that of his uncle 's young widow,an ex-usherette whom the whole family despises as well.
The detective plot involves blackmail,bribes,poisoning and even whodunit.The family calls itself "the syndicate" because of its power and its influence on the whole town.
Filmed during the Occupation,"le voyageur de la toussaint" is not unlike Henri-Georges Clouzot's "le corbeau" released the same year:the depiction of a rotten microcosm.The main difference lies in Desailly's character :in Clouzot's work no just can redeem Sodom.Here this young
virtuous upholder of the law prevents the movie from being "scandalous" and outlawed from society as "le corbeau" was.
SPOILER SPOILER:nevertheless there are elements of the Vichy government propaganda :the bad mother whom I mention above is a good example of it:of course she's the criminal but she was anyway well before poisoning her brother because ,in Vichy's mind,a woman was born to bring up her children carefully.The scene in which she confesses her crime climaxes the movie:Daquin uses depth of field with startling results.
Simenon mystery made in occupied France in 1943
Wilburrabbit9 February 2001
Rather ordinary mystery enhanced by the unavoidable awareness that this movie was made under wartime circumstances. Basically, a young man becomes the unexpected heir to a large fortune, and runs up against the "syndicate" of corrupt townsfolk. The murderer is eventually discovered, and the man finds true love. Interesting performance by Jean Desailly, who is not well known in the US.
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