Summary
In a working class district of Paris in 1930, Albert, a street singer, and his friend
Louis meet a young Roumanian woman, Pola. Albert falls in love with Pola but is
arrested and sent to prison for theft. When he comes out of prison he is furious
to discover that Pola has transferred her affections to Louis...
Review
René Clair’s migration from silent to sound cinema was a cautious and reluctant
process, as this film clearly demonstrates. This is essentially a silent film with
the occasional insertion of dialogue where only strictly necessary. Clair, like
many early film directors, believed that a film’s integrity lay in its visuals,
and that dialogue should never detract from that. That not withstanding, this was
one of the most successful of the early sound films and established Clair’s reputation
as a film director.
Although the plot and script are generally lacklustre and unambitious, Clair manages to
create something special, through a combination of impressive sets of Paris lodgings and
ingenious camerawork. This film contains strands of poetic realism, a concept which
would thrive in 1930s French cinema, largely through the creative genius of Marcel Carné
and his script writer Jacques Prévert.
© James Travers 2000
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