La femme que j'ai assassinée

Writer/director Jacques Daniel-Norman who died in 1978 could hardly be described as a 'household name' and one wonders how he is rated in his native country. This is an adaptation of one of Charles Exbrayat's non-detective stories concerning a middle-aged businessman's sense of guilt at having been indirectly responsible for the suicide of a woman to whom he has behaved cavalierly. Not only does he pay for her funeral but secretly adopts her orphaned daughter. This injection of love into his life changes him for the better.......... Daniel-Norman's direction here lacks that certain 'edge' which distinguishes the 'greats' but he has the talents of Charles Vanel, Pierre Larquey and Armand Bernard. The quality of Vanel's work spanning a phenomenally long career speaks for itself. Larquey is certainly no slouch either with over two hundred credits to his name. Bernard's distinctive persona always makes an impression and one is intrigued to learn that the gap in his CV between 1940-45 is due to his being Jewish and having to go into hiding after being stripped of his citizenship by the Vichy regime. At least he came out at the other end! Micheline Francey doubles up as mother and daughter. Although not a great film it is good enough to prompt me to discover more of this director's work.

A group of smug forty-something bourgeois meets every month to talk about their amorous adventures and other trivia .All are bachelors and they think that the world turns around them and their mean little persons.Charles Vanel portrays one of them.He owns a factory and he gives his workers' a hard time:whoever is late will be in trouble!Do what I say or else! One night,during one of these gathering ,a desperate phone call puzzles him.Soon after,they find a dead body in the river.And this woman who has just committed suicide,reminds him of...

After a conversation with one of his so-called friends,the boss understands that his selfish life will lead him to remorse and loneliness.He wants to undo the harm he's done.

Based on an Exbrayat movie,the screenplay displays fineness ,with nice pictures (the two faces ,the woman on her deathbed and the daughter lying on her bed) and a final scene where the bourgeois play a cruel game of truth which finally goes against them.

Excellent performance by Charles Vanel.