Les anges noirs

François Mauriac's novels can become cinema classics:Georges Franju got close enough for honor with " Therese Desqueyroux"(recently remade); 25 years before him,Willy Rozier registered the same desire.

Considering his filmography ("56 Rue Pigalle" " Les Amants Maudits" "A Toi De Jouer Callaghan " " Le Bagnard") I expected the worst.

And I got the worst ;the screenplay is abysmal ,desultory,and I dare anyone who has not read the book to catch up with the plot:it is a jumble ,in which even seasoned actors such as Paul Bernard ,Suzy Prim and Charpin cannot play their game well.

Filmed on location in the Landes (like "Therese Desqueyroux" in the early sixties) ,but only 20% of the movie takes advantage of the landscapes;and when it does ,it's downright embarrassing:Gabriel's crime,badly directed,with actors left to their own devices,looks like a spoof on suspense movies.

It's impossible to take an interest in these characters ,the director being incapable of giving a little life to them.