Pour un soir..! (1932) User Reviews

Gabin:birth of a myth

[dbdumonteil · 31 January 2006]

This is the only film by Jean Godard ;no ,he's not you-know-who's father.And unfortunately, a good part of the movie seems to be lost forever.It remains barely one hour.And we really feel that something is lacking.Towards the end ,the scenes don't make any sense.

"POur un soir" is the title of the song which the femme fatale sings in a night club.Here a young man would like to meet her,but a guy who knows better tells him a sailor's tale.Flashback:enter Gabin and his dear mother.He fell in love with the singer,and it would lead him to tragedy.Since many sequences are missing,you will probably find it hard to catch up with the plot.

Interest lies somewhere else:it's really Gabin-the -unfortunate- good- guy who is busy being born here.The hero of such masterworks as "la Bandera" "Quai des Brumes" "Le Jour se leve" or "LA Bete Humaine" is not far.

Jean Gabin' s debut

[kastagne · 3/10 · 5 July 2006]

the only left version is a cut version, which doesn't help to make up the dullness and slowness of the directing, which lacks suspense and movement.you will soon fall asleep in front of Colette Darfeuil and Jean Gabin, who are the two stars of this sailor-falls-in-love-with-a-dame story. you will soon forget the plot and the acting, but the only interest lies in the live footage of many spots: The famous LIDO in Paris,full of bubbling champagne,partying fellows and tango dancers; a sleazy bar in Toulon with real musette dancers waltzing to the melody of the accordion and what seems to be a short glimpse of St Tropez before the paid holiday era.At last, if you waited till the end of the movie, you'll see a topless cheek dancing around in the LIDO;seems like censorship was way too cool in the early 30's......

Blueprint For Breathless

[writers_reign · 4/10 · 24 April 2007]

It has to be said that there are some wicked people in this world who would have you believe that after failing as an actor - two films in 1928/9 - and a director - one film, THIS, in 1931 - Jean Godard retired to lick his wounds and swear revenge on a film going public and after biding his time - revenge is, after all, a dish best served cold - he added a hyphenated 'Luc' to his name and unleashed Brainless on an unsuspecting world. Revenge indeed. I don't know WHO starts these things but the facts are that Jean-Crap Godard was born in 1930 which leaves the possibility of a father grooming a son to set back the French film industry two decades. Be that as it may what we have here is a piece of cheese notable only for some historical location footage and Jean Gabin in a very early leading role. The only version extant appears to have suffered major cuts which don't make it easier to assess but it's reasonable to assume that even at best it was mediocre which still leaves it head and shoulders above Brainless.