Summary
In a brave attempt to save a colleague, railway mechanic Raymond Pinsard is badly injured
in an locomotive accident. He is rendered blind, but his doctor assures him that
an operation can restore his sight. At first, Raymond has difficulty coming to terms
with his disability, and he becomes withdrawn and depressed. By a clever ruse, his
sister manages to get him to enrol in a school for the blind. Raymond still finds
it hard to accept that he is blind, but young blind teacher Louise opens his eyes
to a new world. Just when Raymond has begun to regain his confidence, he learns
that he will never regain his sight. The news is more than he can bear...
Review
After his career had fallen into near-obscurity in the 1940s, Jean Gabin made a remarkable
come back in La Nuit est mon royaume. This film gave Gabin the opportunity
to deliver one of his finest performances. His portrayal of the blinded railway
worker is both convincing and intensely moving. Gabin is no longer the idealised
romantic hero of the 1930s, but an ordinary middle aged manual worker whose life has taken
a turn for the worse. No wonder that the actor was much in demand after this
film, particularly when it earned him the Coupe Volpi for the Best Actor at Venice
in 1951.
La Nuit est mon royaume has other strengths besides its lead actor’s contribution
and is quite possibly director Georges Lacombe’s best work. Simone Valère
gives a moving performance as the blind school teacher, Gabin’s love interest in the film.
Gérard Oury also stars in the film, a full decade before he embarked on a hugely
successful career as a film director. The script is of a high calibre (thanks to
Charles Spaak’s well-crafted dialogue) whilst the atmospheric photography lends the film
its intense mood, heightening the tension and moments of poignancy to great effect.
This is a genuinely stirring film which tells its simple tale without sentimentality or
excessive melodrama. However, it is unquestionably Jean Gabin’s participation in
the film which gives it its impact and classic status.
© James Travers 2002
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