☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Quai
des Orfevres (1947) – H.-G. Clouzot
A dogged policeman (Louis Jouvet)
investigates a married music hall couple after a repugnant film producer and pornographer
turns up dead in Clouzot’s first post-war film (prior to well-known thrillers
Les Diaboliques and The Wages of Fear).
Not exactly noir and not exactly police procedural but blending elements
from these genres with the backstage musical (albeit the particularly French
kind). Bernard Blier (the husband and
accompanist) is spurred to passionate jealousy by Suzy Delair’s (the wife and
singer) willingness to flirt with producers to advance her career. Thus, he is suspect number one when she gets
mixed up with the soon-dead producer – or perhaps she is suspect number one –
or perhaps their lesbian friend downstairs is suspect number one? With Jouvet on the trail, the clues start to
fall into place in a satisfying way – although Clouzot is much more interested
in l’affaire de coeur than in any diddly-squat murder investigation. Top notch.
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