Quai de Grenelle

This movie actually belongs to the late thirties .It's the story of the good guy,who was born under a bad sign -we know nothing of Jean -Louis's past ,but we can easily imagine it.He was born to lose ,we know it from the very start when he walks through the wood catching vipers to sell them to a laboratory.This character is akin to those Jean Gabin used to play in the Golden Age .

Henri Vidal was not lucky :more handsome than Gabin,his good looks went against him and his career ,with the staggering exception of Clement's "Les Maudits" did not include really great works;some good ones ,for sure,but not the works he was dreaming of ;he was then married to Michele Morgan and her parts must have made him drool.

"Quai De Grenelle" is as pessimistic ,as dark as those classics of the thirties.Even the settings recall "Hotel Du Nord " ("Hotel Du Quai De Grenelle"),"Le Jour Se Leve" or "Quai Des Brumes" .The problem is:was it completely obsolete by 1950?Was it so old fashioned? does it deserve the bad review it gets in "Dictionnaire Des Films" ? I would incline to clemency.The movie begins with an incident of no importance:the hero forgets to use the pedestrian crossing and the policeman is cross.Who could have believed then where it would lead the unfortunate Jean-Louis to?Two unscrupulous journalists depict him as a monster ,who releases vipers in town.Because of a hold up,the city is looking for a scapegoat ,and this poor lad looks the part too much.

Although the superintendent insists there's really nothing against him ,Jean-Louis becomes paranoiac and hides in shady places .He leaves his girlfriend (Françoise Arnoul),meets a hooker (Maria Mauban) and an aging man (Jean Tissier).Descent into hell indeed !All the scenes take place in the dark and sometimes you only see the shadows on the wall.

The Catholic Office of Cinema banned the movie and for a good reason.Sex plays a prominent part in the plot;after all,it deals with snakes,what a symbol!Besides,the journalist writes an obnoxious article just because her husband ,busy talking with his victim,did not take time to make love to her;and if the old hatter hands his young protégé over to the Police,it is because he is gay and in love with a man he knows will never sleep with him;and what about the former girlfriend's dance with a snake ? By several respects ,the movie retains a contemporary side:the press,the fourth estate which can ruin a life .It's not Wilder's contemporary "the big carnival" ,it's not Schoendorff's "Die Verlonere Ehre Der Katharina Blum" either.But at the beginning of the French fifties ,it was pretty good value.

The tone to this French noir film is a little lighter than its American counterparts, with a playfulness and absurdity mixed in to an otherwise dark story. It all starts when a man and his girlfriend (Henri Vidal and Françoise Arnoul) are simply crossing the street outside of the pedestrian walkway and get chastised by a policeman. He talks back, and when the police searching his bag inadvertently release the snakes he's caught in the forest, everyone flees. The trouble is, a little old lady in the crowd misinterprets what she heard the couple say, and so they're wanted for questioning in a robbery they haven't committed. Rather than simply clear things up, he flees to Paris, where he meets a high end prostitute and a somewhat creepy woman's shoe fetishist (Maria Mauban and Jean Tissier). Unfortunately the newspapers want to sensationalize the story rather than get at the truth, compounding his problems, and things continue to go from bad to worse.

The story may madden you with its silly premise and everything that happens to the guy, but it does have its charms, because of the period and because it's French. The moment when the newspaperman's wife (Micheline Francey) prevents him from stopping a story being printed because she simply must make love to him made me smile. The sexuality of all three female characters is made clear, but is not so explicit or in your face as in American films. The best scene in the film is the 'snake dancer' song from Arnoul (voiced by Eliane Embrun), which despite the cheesiness of the snake, has those dulcet tones of the song "Tu m'as donné tout ce que j'aime" warbled out in a nightclub. It's a strong cast, with Tissier and Vidal turning in the best performances, and the street scenes in Paris add to the film's appeal as well.

"Quai de Grenelle" is the name of a street in Paris, making the set of this film. Although I do not think it ranks among France's greatest, "Grenelle" makes a good watch.

Its plot deals with a though guy on the run for the police. The use of snakes provides an original twist. Its main roles, by the young and rising stars of Henri Vidal and Francoise Arnoul, are acted out convincingly.

"Grenelle's" greatest attraction, however, is its charming touch of the atmosphere of Paris in 1950. Focusing on common neighborhoods without much glamor, this visual approach often makes you part of the scene.

Henri Vidal (Jean-Louis) and his girlfriend Françoise Arnoul (Simone) are crossing the road when a gendarme castigates Vidal for jay-walking and having a bad attitude. As a crowd gathers, incorrect reports of the original offence spread like 'Chinese Whispers' which eventually make it to the police station. In the meantime, Vidal has legged it and is now unfairly wanted for questioning over a more serious offence - a robbery. This is the story of how an innocent man can be taken down by unfortunate circumstances.

Whilst the story is typically French, ie, downbeat, it is entertaining, especially thanks to the supporting cast. The women all have interesting roles. Watch how nightclub boss Margo Lion (M. Chotard) coaches new recruit Arnoul in how to carry herself when walking around the club. The French are such pros! Talking of pros, prostitute Maria Mauban (Maria) plays her role well as the world-weary street-walker. Yep, the women keep this film ticking along............and how about the weird shoemaker Jean Tissier (Zana)!! We also have tabloid journalist Pierre Louis thrown into the mix to do what tabloid journalists do.....make stuff up...!

There is plenty here to entertain as well as an interesting setting on location in Paris and some choice language. And you get some boobs on show. This is no Hollywood film.

The lesson from this film is don't disrespect a policeman! If only Vidal had just kept his mouth shut....