Quai des Orfèvres

A great, labyrinthian suspense noir flick. The way the crime investigation plays out, taking advantage both of what the viewer and the various characters know and don't know, is very creative and drives along the plot in an extremely neat and clever manner. I also found the dilemma of the two main characters fascinating; one of them is suspected for a murder, and the other one knows who did it, but can't say who. Blier and Jouvet give great performances, and it's well-shot and -directed.

An excellent noir-ish suspenseful "wrong man" type thriller. The kind of thing Hitchcock would do, and I honestly don't think he could have done it any better than Clouzot. Except for one thing... I don't want to give it away, but something happens at the end that's somewhat contrary to the tone of the rest of the film. It's very odd and jarring, and it's what keeps me from giving this one a higher rating.

Clouzot is as great at creating suspense as Hitchcock and he does a great job with this one. It starts off as a rather light affair with a little romance and music and then turns increasingly into a tense experience of deceit and mistrust. The only weak point is the ending which, while not bad just doesn't seem to quite fit the film.

With its frequent touches of humor, this reminds me of Hitchcock (especially the suggestive shot of milk boiling over on the stove) more than any of Clouzot's other movies--except more tightly structured and better-paced. Pauline Kael calls it "a stunningly well-made entertainment" and says when Suzy Delair sing "Avec Son Tra-la-la," "she may make you wonder if the higher things in life are worth the trouble."

This sort of anti-whodunnit procedural is less about baiting breath with plotty twists, and rather more a push-and-pull between desperate characters. Clouzot knows that the key is in watching the rats navigate the maze from above, pained by their misgivings about one another, squirming under the pressure of their own deceptions. Through the smokey haze of noirish aesthetic, this is ultimately a kind of sweet film about the lengths people go for love - jealous or unrequited though it may be.

For pure pleasure the best of the four Clouzots I've seen. Also for varied and interesting portrait of humanity. The broad strokes stop at potboiler, but oh those finer strokes! Jenny coming around to sing *at* the woman in the audience. "I'm sorry, madame. We can't beat them," c'mon. "You're just my type. When it comes to women...we'll never have a chance." As the film transcends genre, Dora transcends the tragic lez trope. A tender and sympathetic treatment (and she'll be aiiiiiiiiiiight).

Wonderful thriller, that could only be brought up by such an artist like Clouzot. But, damn, what an awful ending! It just didn't fit at all!

# 869

One of the more touching noir films.

A noir about travels in the gutter of society, and how the gutter isn't as class conscious as you'd expect. The gutter can be like a drug, or a web, that keeps people bound and returning who have the intention of 'cleaning up'. The text is more sophisticated than most, and does succeed in painting interpersonal relationships with considerable complexities.

Captivant

Uses expectations to cut like a knife. A movie that truly embraces the messed up minds of these noir characters not to attack them but to love them. A very touching movie

Not bad but I'm still trying to figure out what's supposed to be so special about this one

Though the story, as the detective puts it, amounts to "diddly-squat," the glory is in the details of Clouzot's post-war policier. Each of the characters have enriching and/or sordid facets to them that give them greater depth than what you would usually find in the films of this era. It's an odd film in that one could probably make a movie just as interesting as this one, using the same characters and milieu, but without the murder plot.

Somewhat tedious. Corny music (that "Tra La La" song will eat into your brain flesh) and slow pace; featuring Bob Newhart as the near-fall guy.

88.500

The insipid Hollywood ending...from the director of Diabolique no less!

I'm as big a fan of Clouzot's as the next guy but I don't really get the love for this one.

Estreava há 75 anos na França. Não sei onde li alguém dizendo que esse filme era tão grandioso quanto A Regra do Jogo, como acho o Renoir o maior de todos no cinema francês, então fui com a expectativa alta. Menos, né. Bem menos. É excelente no seu flanar pela boemia parisiense que só usa o assassinato como mero detalhe para a exploração da fauna humana alí presente, por isso ele destoe um tanto do sentido de um polar, especialmente com aquele final feliz. Box Versátil Filme Noir Francês Vol 4.

Fantastic photography, I was hooked from the very first shot of the girls walking under the arch all the way to the last shot of the cop and his son walking back through that same arch. Great writing. Great acting. Great great great!

A lesser Clouzot plotwise, but the comedic touches and solid acting make it pleasurable.

Postwar film noir from the country that gave us the term. The final plot twist reveals nothing so much as the essential trashiness of the project, yet the atmosphere of damp nocturnal streets and seedy backstage show business and European sexual frankness is strong enough to be practically smelled, and the workings of the jaws of fate do indeed draw you deep into noir before spitting you out into the trash bin.

This first film that Henri-Georges Clouzot was allowed to make after his 4 year ban for working with a German film company during the occupation is a really entertaining detective noir with the kind of racy, adult edge you never find in Hollywood films of the era. The first half is really good, but the film really springs to life when Jouvet enters the picture.

A solid movie with an at times clever plot that messes around with expectations. Without spoiling anything, the ending is unusual for this kind of film and drags it down a bit. It's not amazing, but a good enough time.

A well-shot and lit film from Clouzot, with a clever narrative and engaging characters--especially the police detective. Ultimately its the characters and their particular social setting that make the film so engaging. Every character is suspicious of the police, to the point of paranoia about answering even a few questions. It's that paranoia in the midst of socially unacceptable behaviors that Clouzot captures so well.

Another high-quality picture from Henri-Georges Clouzot. A murder investigation headed by the always reliable Louis Jouvet in a excellent manner. Does have a tendency to talk itself to a halt, the film is French after all, but it reminds more of a traditional murder case with focus on its characters and their quirks, much like what made British mysteries famous. Clouzot concocts an appetizing roller-coaster ride of intrigue and irrational behavior.