Unless you know something I don't Jean Delannoy is still with us and celebrated his 99th birthday on Friday last. His CV stretches back to the Silents but as actor and writer rather than director. He took up directing in his thirties and has nothing to be ashamed of in such titles as L'Eternal retour, La Symphonie Pastorale and La Minute de verite but as far as this entry is concerned he might have done better filming the real-life adventures of leading lady Mireille Balin but at the time the best was still to come. With 'acting' credits in two of Jean Gabin's popular successes, Pepe le Moko and Guele d'amour behind her it all started coming apart when she was forcibly separated from fiancé Tino Rossi but that was as nothing compared to what was to come which included finding a soulmate in the Occupying forces, fleeing with him - unlike Arletty who was arrested at the home of Marcel Carne - being caught, beaten and raped. Be that as it may Delannoy opted for our old friend Redemption but failed to choose a leading man up to the job. The best thing you can say about Jean Chevrier is that he turned up on set and delivered his lines without bumping into the furniture. There's a touch of the Tell-Tale Hearts in the ticking clock that torments our hero relentlessly and a nice line in antique dealer/blackmailers but it's not quite atmospheric enough and not well enough acted to qualify as much more than 'interesting'.
Review of L'assassin a peur la nuit
