La mort de Belle

Edouard Molinaro was a great director, not for his successes in comedies, but for his first noir movies : "le Dos au mur" (1958), "un Témoin dans la ville" (1959), "des Femmes disparaissent" (1959), and "la Mort de Belle" (1961). I hadn't seen this "Mort de Belle" for more than 30 years, it's still not available in cassette vidéo, dvd or br, but was on channel a few times. Unbelievable, the three others Molinaro noir movies are available on dvd but not this one, his very best. Everything is stunning. The story, first, is adapted from Simenon by Jean Anouilh, telling the story of a teacher (Jean Desailly, touching as a simple and modest man) accused of murder of a young beautiful american student at his own place. And his worst ennemy is the local judge played by Jacques Monod (specialist of judge and lawyer characters) who wants his head even if the teacher seems innocent. Drama's inevitable. Lot of perverted details bring that drama. What a disgrace.

We want justice, bring back this french noir treasure in a restored print on dvd br. There are too many forgotten and unavailable french gems, by dozens, release them before they totally disappear forever. Like another Molinaro masterpiece "l'Ironie du sort" (also advised by the only reviewer of "Mort de Belle").

Molinaro's career cannot boast a lot of masterworks:most of his movies are commercial ,the likes of "la cage aux folles".But there are exceptions,notably "un témoin dans la ville""Arsène Lupin contre Arsène Lupin",and mainly "la mort de Belle" and the overlooked "Ironie Du Sort".

Adapted from Georges Simenon,"la mort de Belle" is a psychological detective story,with a topflight cast,including the excellent Jean Desailly,Alexandra Stewart,Yves Robert and Monique Mélinand.The subtle dialog was written by famous playwright,Jean Anouilh.A young American student (Stewart) lives with a forty-something couple,a teacher (Desailly) and his wife.The gorgeous girl is strangled and the teacher is the main suspect.Overnight,his private life is violated ,plain for all to see.Using cleverly the flashbacks,Molinaro reveals secrets,and shows that what is left unsaid may have dreadful consequences.

Despised by everybody,from his (vice-)principal to the girl's mother,the teacher does not know where he stands anymore,and tragedy awaits around the corner..

A gripping drama,that will keep you interested till its last pictures.If you should only see one Molinaro movie,this is definitely the one to choose.

When asked to name a famous Belgian most people will look blank and after a tortuous mental effort eventually come up with Hercule Poirot!

The output of Belgian-born Georges Simenon is truly prolific and his mastery of the 'psychological' thriller is unsurpassed.

So as to avoid awkward questions regarding his behaviour during the Occupation, Simenon exiled himself to America in 1945 and lived for a while in Lakeville, Connecticut, where he wrote 'The End of Belle'.

When it came to filming the novel in a European setting where better to transpose New England manners and morals that Geneva. Mild-mannered professor Spencer Ashby has here become Stephane Blanchon who is the prime suspect when a female student who is lodging with him and his wife is found strangled in her bedroom. As the investigation gathers pace we discover that the murdered girl was in love with him........ Although Belle appears briefly prior to her death she reappears through flashbacks and her presence permeates the film. She is played by Alexandra Stewart, surely one of the most exquisite creatures ever to have walked on to a sound stage.

Every single character in this is wonderfully drawn and played to perfection by a simply superlative cast comprising many who will alas be unfamiliar to the average non-Gallic viewer. The best known face of course is that of Jean Desailly as Blanchon. A subtle and sensitive actor who was given his film break by Louis Daquin in 1943 whilst still a member of the Comedie Francaise. He reached his peak filmically with his performance as Pierre in Truffaut's 'Le peau douce'.

We have the added bonus here of a screenplay by French playwright Jean Anouilh whose plays are seldom performed nowadays and some of which have been filmed with decidedly mixed results! Especially impressive are the interior monologues of Blanchon.

The film is graced by yet another subtle and elegant score by Georges Delerue.

This is a first class piece of film-making from director Edouard Molinaro and ripe for rediscovery.

The fact that sixty years on from its release it has attracted thus far only three reviews is both mystifying and depressing.

On a lighter note, Simenon once infamously claimed to have slept with 10,000 women and to be capable of writing 60-80 pages a day. If anyone deserves to be a famous Belgian then it is surely he!

"La Mort De Belle" has a modest budget and a low-profile cast (Alexandra Stewart is the only name I recognized, if I'm being honest), but it works very well both as a whodunit and as a piercing portrait of middle-aged loneliness and disillusionment. It keeps you guessing until the last few minutes, and has a double or maybe even triple-twist ending, yet the clues for each of the twists are neatly planted ahead of time. I liked this film a lot and I wish it was better known. *** out of 4.