Un certain Monsieur Jo

Like the later "Vieil Homme Et L'Enfant " , "Un Certain Monsieur Jo " pits a grumpy aging man with a tender heart against a child .

Kidnappers abduct a girlie ,but as they have the police hot on their heels,they hide her,unbeknown to him, in a former gangster's place ;now released on parole ,he's back on the straight and narrow and honestly earns his living.In his small restaurant/hotel,with a Guinguette(place where you can drink and dance ) on the banks of the Seine,he works with a dumb bartender with a big heart who did not realize what he did when he took the abducted child.

This may look derivative,but this is not;of course the old man (portrayed by the great Michel Simon true to form) and the girl get on very well and she calls him "Tonton" (=uncle);but the gangsters who cannot get any ransom asks their involuntary accomplice to get rid of the "stuff".Then what was a comedy turns into true drama .

With a genius such as Michel Simon,a smart screenplay by Marc-Gilbert Sauvageon, good supporting parts ,notably Gabrielle Fontan ,as the local gossip,one can dream of what a great director (Duvivier and Decoin come to mind) could have done.It's an interesting effort,which is to be recommended for Simon's fans though.

And why is it forgotten? Well I guess it was only released on French video cassette (one being the famous editor of French Cinema Patrimoine, we still wait for his memoirs), with no advertisement nor marketing, just a fistful of connoisseurs having an eye on these too much modest releases. Maybe it was broadcasted on tv, but not as I know.

And that Michel Simon is a hit, the genius being a tough restaurant owner next to the Marne, retired definitely from gangster activities. But once you've put a foot with crooks, it's hard to be forgotten. After a gastronomic trip for his restaurant, Michel Simon comes back and finally finds his employee (played by Raymond Bussières really frightened by MS, a great unusual performance) has hidden a young girl kidnapped by hoodlums on the run. It becomes a nasty cat and mouse game with police.

As I said, Michel Simon and Raymond Bussières are really involved in their characters. Michel Simon is still in his most famous creative period, but it's on this shooting that he had a hair coloration accident which sadly ended his best classic career.

And how can we forget Genevieve Fontan as the old neighbor helping police with her nasty interventions, she's a must. In fact, this forgotten gem is a must, not far from Decoin or Clouzot. Director René Jolivet only directed 6 movies, I'm impatient to discover the 5 others. I musn't forget delicious Geneviève Kirvin.

Please, come on RC, for your first blu-ray, think of "Un certain monsieur Jo", with a tough movie poster and tough stills.