Sedução Fatal

Were it not for the final 15 unbelievable minutes, I could have given this one 9, because the direction is assured, and the cinematography by Armand Thirard is wonderfully evocative, both of Les Halles and the Seine riverbank. Gabin and Blain playing two men suckered by a woman give excellent performances, Lucienne Bogaert as the woman's junkie mother gives another in a long line of vicious performances (how I've loved to hate her over the years), and the woman herself, Daniele Delorme, playing the crazed daughter of Gabin and Bogaert manages to hold her emotions in check until those final unbelievable minutes.

I grew up watching Duvivier's films: Carnet de bal, Pepe le moko and La Bandera. I saw in them a mastery of detail and a way of working with actors that pleased me very much. His work in the 50's doesn't equal what he did then.

From the opening shot of Daniele Delorme as Catherine walking across Les Halles this film takes hold and never loosens its grip. Superbly structured and beautifully paced it builds to a terrifying although somewhat melodramatic finale. This has to be one of Jean Gabin's greatest roles as he does not so much act the part of Andre as inhabit it. The change in this easy-going, good-natured man as he realises that he has been duped and deceived is highly effective. One usually cringes at the titles given to European films for the American market but here Kipling's words 'Deadlier than the Male' are decidedly apt. Lucienne Bogaert, Germaine Kerjean and Gabrielle Fontan play their monstrous characters with relish whilst Daniele Delorme as the 'femme fatale' is stupendous in what would seem, on paper, an extremely difficult role. Her portrayal reminds one of Shakespeare's phrase 'There is no art to find the mind's construction in the face'. The diverse characters in and around the restaurant are wonderfully drawn. Shot by the legendary Armand Thirard and edited by one of director Duvivier's regular collaborators Marthe Poncin, this is film noir of the highest quality. Even the best directors alas have only so many great films in them and although we have good ones like 'Henriette' and 'Marie-Octobre' from Julien Duvivier still to come, the film under review is sadly the last of his very best. Disappointing to see that Cesar the canine chum who plays such a vital role in this film, is uncredited. Oh well, that's showbusiness!

This Duvivier gem is the definitive proof that the FRench cinema was not moribund in the late fifties.Julien Duvivier,the master of the film noir French style ("Pepe le Moko" was a strong influence on the American film noir),outdoes himself and gives his last masterpiece ."Voici le temps des assassins " outdistances all former works ,it's really the apex of evil.

Danielle Delorme 's character is one of the most perverse you can see on a screen:she almost makes us forget Jean Simmons in "Angel Face" .This girl is perversity flesh on the bone.Is she a victim (of her education? her sad background?)Delorme told in an interview that her part was "much too much",that she probably had excuses,that she probably suffered during her childhood: terse answer by the director:"evil people are evil,period." Duvivier's world is thoroughly noir:the three old women who are featured in the movie are evil too.

Germaine Kerjean's character is even more terrifying than the false ingenue :not only she probably broke her son's marriage (Gabin) but she has also continued to dominate him.When Gabin introduces her to Catherine,she simply says with a threatening smile :"she has a chilling way about her" ;actually this reply turns the audience 's heart into ice.this old shrew is sadistic to a fault:you should see her behead her chickens in her guinguette (cafe where you dance on the banks of the Seine)!You should see her thrash her daughter-in-law,yelling,when the whip comes down :"that will knock you into shape!!" Catherine's mother(Lucienne Bogaert) is a slut,the ugliest woman you have ever met,destroyed by alcohol and drugs .She epitomizes decay.She urges her daughter to kill her husband -who was also his twenty years ago-,and the way she plans the murder,lavishly detailed ,makes your flesh creep.

And there is Gabin's housekeeper (Gabrielle Fontan),a hypocrite spinster who never found love and thus is jealous of Catherine,who is young and beautiful.she moves in the house like a snake ,always on the look-out for some gossips about Catherine,the intruder.

The action takes place in three places: 1)Gabin's restaurant in Les Halles,now a thing of the past,where the scenarists take a slap at the Americans -who are far from being gourmets- and the dogs (there's humor in this somber story).

2)Catherine's junkie mother's room ,in a seedy house near decay,where she spins her web.

3)Her mother-in-law's guinguette,turned into a living hell by the owner.

The characters move from one place to another,as an almost unbearable tension rises and takes all the characters in a bloody violent final by the misty banks of a glittering Seine.

This movie contains scenes that will leave you at the edge of your seat,even 50 years after:Kerjean,whipping with an intense pleasure;Gerard's (Gerard Blain) murder in the night down by the Seine;His dog,barking at a scared to death Catherine.Sincerely,I've seen lots and lots of FRench movies,but few (if any) come close to this one when it comes to depicting wickedness ,greed and perversity.

Once dismissed as "pre nouvelle vague trash" "voici le temps des assassins -looked upon as a masterpiece by Bertrand Tavernier,one of the masters of the contemporary French cinema - has since been restored to favor by a whole generation of viewers (its IMDb rating is currently 7,6!Thanks to the users!)and critics (Jacques Lourcelles notably).

Claude Chabrol and Bertrand Tavernier love this film.

Watch "Voici le temps des assassins" at all costs!!!!

Only 6 reviews for that pure Masterpiece of French Film Noir, direct in my top 5 ("Les Diaboliques" have 160 reviews and "Non Coupable" has only 2 reviews (?)(another pure masterpiece of French Film Noir with Michel Simon at his best, in my top 5 of course). Everything has been said by other bright reviewers, I just confirm you cannot forget that sick darkness of the characters. Impossible, printed forever in your mind.

Julien Duvivier and Jean-Pierre Melville are my favorite French film noir directors. Duvivier is in his best form ever in VOICI LE TEMPS DES ASSASSINS, a masterpiece from beginning to end.

It boasts one of Jean Gabin's finest performances ever - no mean accolade given that Gabin simply never acted badly, regardless of the quality of the film he appeared in. And he appeared in a fair number of duds.

In this case, he delivers a calm, nuanced performance reflecting the basic good nature of his character, always ready for a kindness to his staff, customers, and friends. He loves his mother and treats his old maid with respect, two women who have always looked out, and continue to look out for him. However, his genuinely benign nature belies a strong character. He is no pushover or fool. The subtle script trains the spotlight on a selfless, generous man who gradually loses his cool and changes as he finds more and more about his deceitful wife.

His first wife, whom he divorced but does not resent for taking him to the cleaners, is the mother of his second wife to be, Catherine, a young woman played by the beautiful yet facially plain Danielle Delorme - an interesting combination of contrasts that reflects Catherine's own inner contradictions, and capacity to change mood, lie and backstab others in the blink of an eye.

Delorme delivers an outstanding performance of psychotic complexity under the veneer of normality and bodily elegance. It is clear from the way she looks at Gabin and at his restaurant that she has a plan. That she is not the angelical soul she tries to convey comes across steadily, and is confirmed with her clever and opportunistic theft of a wad of notes from a customer.

There is nothing innocent about her purported innocence, and her laughing and crying reaction to Gérard murder is a sequence of genius and psychological insight reflecting Duvivier's sensitive understanding of the fact that Catherine is not just out and out evil, but is also capable of love.

Catherine ingratiates herself into Gabin's life with ulterior motives which are dropped piecemeal in the viewer's lap. The result is riveting film narrative.

Tough logic drives the highly credible and incisive script. B&W photography is exceptional. Fitting soundtrack, too, with great initial song by Germaine Montero.

There is not one weak acting performance in the film. Gérard Blain excels as Gabin's loyal but misunderstood and tragically misrepresented best chum. Gabrielle Fontan as Gabin's sharp-eyed and whip expert mother, and Lucienne Bogaert as Delorme's drugged mother also deserve the highest plaudits.

Perhaps César could have been a meaner-looking dog. I accept that but César too has an exterior that belies his inner personality. That fun and loving exterior conceals a basic loyalty toward his beloved owner, himself an example of loyalty. The scene where César lies next to Blain's covered corpse is deeply touching and it provides the logical ramp for his final, revengeful attack. The beast is capable of far nobler feelings than the modern-looking, cunning, and apparently civilized Catherine, the trademark femme fatale.

Must-see film noir. 10/10