happytrigger-64-390517

One of the very first movie directed by Robert Siodmack, master of film noir. Not yet a masterpiece, but lot of fascinating details for this very early talking : a rich quantity of sounds, fabulous casting well directed, surprising sexual connotations,... "Autour d'une enquête" was recently released on DVD in France and it seems to be a real hit for this rare Siodmack rarely broadcasted. Robert Siodmack is still considered as a great director, my favorite in his French period being "Mollenard", an unforgettable powerful drama seen in my teens, one movie that really impressed me with an outstanding Harry Baur.

... there was Bach playing Blaireau from the great Alphonse Allais. Bach played in 24 movies, 13 were directed by Henry Wulschleger who wasn't a well-known director. As Blaireau was the first great character Louis de Funès played with the eccentricity everybody knows, Bach played this character with much more anarchy, as if he was quite drunken, and that was really surprising, even shocking. He reminds me of the incredible Michel Simon in "Boudu sauvé des eaux" from the same period, but I just think "l'Affaire Blaireau" was directed before Jean Renoir's masterpiece. Maybe Bach anarchic character (even if very different) inspired Michel Simon and Jean Renoir, who knows? Anyway, "L'affaire Blaireau" is a rare and funny curiosity.

Yes, around 1981 were directed some memorable french films noirs. From that year, I saw "le Choix des armes" by Alain Corneau, "Garde à vue" by Claude Miller, "Coup de torchon" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Eaux profondes" by Michel Deville,... "Il faut tuer Birgit Haas" was directed by Laurent Heynemann, a lesser known director but with some accurate talent. The spy story isn't the most interesting, the script rather concentrates on the different friendship and love stories between a terrorist (Liza Kreuzer) and a loser (Jean Rochefort) manipulated by a French special agent (Philippe Noiret, perfect as always) in conflict with his partners. This is a sad, desperate and creepy story with a surpring ending.

I hadn't seen this movie since its release in 1981 and I don't think it was frequently broadcasted on French TV. Seeing it more than 40 years after, I was still amazed by Liza Kreuzer, I just wonder how better this movie could have been with Patrick Dewaere originally casted, maybe more sulfurous.