Retour de manivelle

I am sure this adaptatation of James Hadley Chase's 'There's always a Price Tag' will be enjoyed by Chase purists, assuming such beings exist! Director Denys de la Patelliere will never reside in the Pantheon of film 'Greats' but here everything works. The score, production design, editing and cinematography are excellent. Michel Audiard, one of the best in the business, contributes the dialogue. None of the characters is one-dimensional and all of the performances extremely good, notably Michele Morgan as a subtle 'femme fatale' and Peter van Eyck in a sympathetic portayal as her hapless husband. Another excellent performance by Bernard Blier as the detective. Interesting also to see the delighful Michele Mercier in her first credited role. She would once again work with this director in the sixties in 'God's Thunder' when she attempted, unsuccessfully, to break free from the curse of 'Angelique'. There are a few contrivances that are faintly ludicrous such as the man from Lloyds of London strolling in with damning evidence just as the police are trying to pin a motive for murder on the chauffeur, played by Daniel Gelin. This is still however a first class film noir in which typical French finesse and good taste are allied with a characteristically French emphasis on character rather than plot.