Grémillon belongs to the same generation of French film-makers as Duvivier or Renoir, all born in the late 1890s. One could add Becker, Carné and Clouzot, born in the late 1900s, to the list. Nowadays, Grémillon's legacy is somewhat overshadowed by that of his colleagues, even though it's revered by some movie-buffs like the late French director and ultimate cinéphile Bertrand Tavernier.
Grémillon's trademark style involves setting a melodrama in a very realistic background, depicting everyday's life in rather modest, and often coastal surroundings. There are a lot of exterior shots of natural and urban landscapes, in an almost documentary fashion, a focus on the material hardships of his heroes, whether in their professional or private lives. At their best, his works foretell the neorealist Italian movies of the 1940-50s.
"L'Etrange Monsieur Victor" is a melodrama with criminal and social undertones, set in Toulon, a military harbor city in the French Provence, A respectable-looking bourgeois, Victor Agardanne (Raimu) is in fact the head of a gang of jewel robbers. He murders one of his accomplices and lets an innocent, hard-working cobbler (Blanchar) get condemned and sent to jail in his place. The drama picks up once the wrongfully convicted cobbler escapes from jail and heads back home, with Mr. Victor torn between remorse and his continued need to hide his crimes from both justice and his virtuous wife (Renaud).
The story is rather implausible overall, a sort of "Crime and Punishment" where Raskolnikov would be innocent and Judge. Porfiry would be the actual murderer - interestingly, Blanchar had played. Raskolnikov three years before in a movie by Pierre Chenal.
The whole melodrama part, in particular, is very dated, with dialogues which do not particularly inspire, and a depiction of human relationships which is very theatrical. Neither does the "crime story" fully convince: the plot is quite predictable, and Victor's would-be moral dilemma is painted in too broad strokes to be believable, the man oscillating between Mediterranean geniality and hard-core ruthlessness.
There remains a cast which deliver excellent and sometimes highly enjoyable performances. Raimu is a delight to watch, and Renaud is very moving. The two however, make for a very ill--assorted couple, beyond the needs of the script: it feels sometimes that they are playing in two different movies. Blanchar is the weak link of the cast, with a grating fake Provençal accent and a stilted and exaggerated acting style straight out of the silent films area. Viviane Romance has a small part as his wife of loose morals, a role she will reprise in several other pictures.
To be watched for Raimu and the depiction of Toulon in the late 1930s, Grémillon-style. For a movie featuring the framing of an innocent man over a background of social strife, check Duvivier's masterpiece "Panique" (1946), which is hugely superior.
Grémillon's trademark style involves setting a melodrama in a very realistic background, depicting everyday's life in rather modest, and often coastal surroundings. There are a lot of exterior shots of natural and urban landscapes, in an almost documentary fashion, a focus on the material hardships of his heroes, whether in their professional or private lives. At their best, his works foretell the neorealist Italian movies of the 1940-50s.
"L'Etrange Monsieur Victor" is a melodrama with criminal and social undertones, set in Toulon, a military harbor city in the French Provence, A respectable-looking bourgeois, Victor Agardanne (Raimu) is in fact the head of a gang of jewel robbers. He murders one of his accomplices and lets an innocent, hard-working cobbler (Blanchar) get condemned and sent to jail in his place. The drama picks up once the wrongfully convicted cobbler escapes from jail and heads back home, with Mr. Victor torn between remorse and his continued need to hide his crimes from both justice and his virtuous wife (Renaud).
The story is rather implausible overall, a sort of "Crime and Punishment" where Raskolnikov would be innocent and Judge. Porfiry would be the actual murderer - interestingly, Blanchar had played. Raskolnikov three years before in a movie by Pierre Chenal.
The whole melodrama part, in particular, is very dated, with dialogues which do not particularly inspire, and a depiction of human relationships which is very theatrical. Neither does the "crime story" fully convince: the plot is quite predictable, and Victor's would-be moral dilemma is painted in too broad strokes to be believable, the man oscillating between Mediterranean geniality and hard-core ruthlessness.
There remains a cast which deliver excellent and sometimes highly enjoyable performances. Raimu is a delight to watch, and Renaud is very moving. The two however, make for a very ill--assorted couple, beyond the needs of the script: it feels sometimes that they are playing in two different movies. Blanchar is the weak link of the cast, with a grating fake Provençal accent and a stilted and exaggerated acting style straight out of the silent films area. Viviane Romance has a small part as his wife of loose morals, a role she will reprise in several other pictures.
To be watched for Raimu and the depiction of Toulon in the late 1930s, Grémillon-style. For a movie featuring the framing of an innocent man over a background of social strife, check Duvivier's masterpiece "Panique" (1946), which is hugely superior.