Port of Shadows (1938)

This is the newly digitally restored release, available from June 2012.Director Marcel Carne, here in just pre-war 1938, made many notable films but for many World Cinema devotees, he is an unknown, or in my case, a newcomer. His Les Enfants de Paradis (1946) is one of the most enchanting and beautiful of all French films, from any period and remains one of my all-time favourites.However, I find his feature films with Jean Gabin a rather jagged little pill. In both his later Le Jour Se Leve and here, Gabin plays rather unlikeable lead roles and I find him difficult to warm to. Though in this case, assisted by screenwriter Jacques Prévert, as army deserter "Jean", he certainly is a complex fellow, whose psyche snaps back and fore as his bewildered despondency on life puts up barriers and communication to others.There's a visual semblance in Gabin of a cross between Spencer Tracey and James Cagney (to my eyes) and also almost in their usual characters - the caring, humane Tracey and the snarling Cagney. Michelle Morgan plays the dark and beautiful Nelly and the two floating into love seems as fleeting and ephemeral as the shifting mists of the title - translated as 'Port Of Shadows'.That Port is Le Havre and the evocative cinematography is the film's finest feature, a real mood-piece that eschews a clammy emptiness. The tonal range of Eugen Schüfftan's black & white camera-work is superb and is fully realised by this digital restoration, without blemish or flaw.The dog that tags on is a nice touch and suits Gabin's character - restless, looking for both company and opportunity but I'm afraid I couldn't settle with the false-bearded Michel Simon, with that hair- piece visibly having gaps in it. A small point to moan about, if one is totally content with the rest of the film but when one isn't totally, these little things stick out like a sore thumb and become annoying.There is no doubt that Le Quai des Brumes is a very good film, that is loved by many and this release is the one to get, unless one goes for the blu-ray, of course. That it didn't totally do "it" for me is down to personal choice, though.

Port of Shadows is a prime example of French Poetic Realism. It has doomed lovers, atmospheric settings, dark and foggy images with low-key lighting, and rain-dampened sets. Director Marcel Carne starkly portrays the lonely souls, Jean and Nelly, as they attempt to escape their dark fates.Jean is an army deserter, played by the talented Jean Gabin, who we meet as he walks down the dark road toward the port city La Havre. It is along this road that he finds a little dog, which follows him for the rest of the film as if he were a small ray of hope that he can start a normal life. However, Jean disregards the dog and claims to own nothing. He abandons his identity in order to not be caught as an army deserter by symbolically killing himself which foreshadows his doomed destiny.Nelly, played by Michele Morgan, is trying to run away from her problems, but someone is always watching or waiting for her. The details of her life are as foggy as the setting, but she is just as doomed as Jean. Jean falls in love with her and tries to help her get away from her problems by running away to Venezuela with him, but Nelly may not be capable of leaving.Carne uses techniques like mise-en-scene that add meaning to every frame. This film will not brighten up a dark day for the audience, but it will leave someone pondering questions from this drama. I definitely recommend this film, while pessimistic, is also profound with great acting and a strong script.

Le quai des brumes is a french film made in 1938 and directed by Marcel Carné. The plot of the film revolves around a military deserter named Jean who is trying to leave the country to avoid being forced back into service. While getting ready for his escape he happens across a dog that he takes in and falls in love with a young woman named Nelly who he tries to protect. Le quai des brumes is a provocative film with a strong cast and even stronger writing. The cinematography is unique as well with its visually dark ascetics which would become the hallmark of the film noir movement in America in later years . The theme of the film is based around the idea of a hostile and alienating world in which the people are unable to escape their inevitable and untimely fate. This theme is strongly emphasized by the fact that most of the characters introduced in the film die horrible deaths or live with deep regrets. While this is a good film and I did enjoy it up to a certain point the plot presents a fairly bleak world view and shows a lot of the characters with less than desirable personality traits and goes as far as to subtly make fun of them. An example of this is in the scene in where Jean talks to a stranger about cubist painting . In conclusion i would recommend Le quai des brumes for anyone who wants to see a classic french film or study films that later influenced the creation of film noir .If you like this film I would recommend Leon the professional, Blade runner and Dark City which all can trace aspects of their creation back to Le quai des brumes and to the Poetic realism movement in France.

I really enjoyed this movie, I think that the depiction of the traveling soldier was well played. In the beginning, there is a mysterious man that the soldier talks to who ends up offering him all of his clothes so that he can remain in hiding from the military. It is never stated, but we later see the man walking naked into the sea and never returning, leading us to believe that he had planned to "be taken by the sea." The allusion to what happened without actually showing it allows the audience to create their own story about what really happened to this mysterious and generous man.The somewhat cold soldier soon loosens up when he falls for a local girl; they end up spending much of their time together and we start to see the soldier's real character shine through his generous actions toward the girl.