Goupi Mains Rouges

Who could have wanted to kill Tisane? The list of suspects is a long one. Marie and her son Jean had just been told that they would have to leave the house where they had been taken in "out of charity"; no love lost there. Mains-Rouges and Tonkin both had been the targets of Tisane's insults over the years, while Muguet had just been told that she must marry Monsieur, who has just arrived from Paris. The 10,000 francs that Tisane had hidden in the armoire are missing... The story as told by Pierre Véry and Jacques Becker is full of atmosphere and menace and has the cream of French actors of the time (those who hadn't left Vichy France for easier surroundings).

Fernand Ledoux is splendid as Mains-Rouges; he puts on a deadpan face in order to play detective--we are told that the Goupis have no need of the police, they solve all their problems in house. Robert Le Vigan is once more at the top of his game: Tonkin is so poetic and threatening, an unforgettable performance. Blanchette Brunoy gives an accomplished performance as Muguet, the girl who is not sure where her heart lies.

A film classic that is not available on DVD is an orphan. Will somebody give this deserving orphan a home?