There are interesting films in Carné's post Prévert career:"Thérèse Raquin" and "les tricheurs",to name but two.But this one is not among them.The screenplay,written by Carné and Jacques Sigurd -who was also Yves Allégret's best script writer- is rather weak and the dialogs seem to have been made" in the style of Jacques Prévert",but few lines are really potent.This is the clichéd story of a poor young man of whom a former boxer(Gabin) wants to make a champion.But his wife(Arletty) is not prepared to it and gets in the way.Besides ,the relationship between the poor lad -an orphan who always loses-and a posh girl (à la "Rose and Jack" in a movie whose name escapes my mind)never rings true.
15 years had passed since Carné directed Gabin and Arletty in his masterpiece "le jour se lève" and time had really taken its toll.Both seem jaded,particularly Arletty whose part is thankless .You should try Julien Duvivier's "sous le ciel de Paris" instead of this.That's really old hat!
15 years had passed since Carné directed Gabin and Arletty in his masterpiece "le jour se lève" and time had really taken its toll.Both seem jaded,particularly Arletty whose part is thankless .You should try Julien Duvivier's "sous le ciel de Paris" instead of this.That's really old hat!