FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
PORT OF SHADOWS (LE QUAI DES BRUMES)
Port of Shadows is seemingly one of the most drab and depressing films
you will encounter from the 1930s. This was a time when color was begging
for a spot in Hollywood, where innovations in sound were churning out one
musical after another to the delight of audiences everywhere. Upon its release,
the film was met with a disappointing ire, viewed by many as harshly
disheartening. While it is indeed all of these things, Port of Shadows is
also beautifully directed by French filmmaker Marcel Carné. It is a wonderful
work to look at and effortlessly garners any appreciation previously denied to
it.
Soldier-turned-deserter Jean (the cool tough guy, Jean Gabin) is looking for a
new life in the port town of La Havre. His sole companion is a loyal stray mutt he
met hitchhiking. In a dive on the outskirts of town, he meets a fellow runaway,
17-year-old Nelly (Michèle Morgan), who is connected with the disappearance of
a local gangster. The film is beautifully noirish, with smoke and fog almost
becoming a third main character. The isolated settings and dark tone can at
times seem like pessimistic overkill, but the film must also be commended for
knowing full well what kind of mood it wants to achieve. Port of Shadows
sentences its characters to despair so effortlessly that happiness becomes for
them either a distant memory or an impossibility. With its backdrop of crime, a jaded
older man protecting an ingénue, as well as its cynical spirit, this is the
French cousin to The Petrified Forest (1936), with Leslie Howard, Bette Davis
and Humphrey Bogart.
DVD Extras: The features are relatively sparse for a Criterion release.
On the disc itself there is only a trailer and a photo gallery containing posters,
productions stills, and publicity shots. Both are skippable. The only other feature
is a 32-page booklet that thankfully includes two well-written and gratifying
essays. The first is from historian Luc Sante, as he cohesively discusses the
film's substantial influence on French cinema. The second is taken from Marcel
Carne's autobiography My Life with Gusto. Here he discusses German
studio troubles (he does admit to the director having more power than
the producer at this point) as well as casting (signing Jean Gabin was another
production in and of itself). Michael Belkewitch
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