Meurtre en 45 tours

This movie is not the best adaptation of a Boileau et Narcejac book because of Périer's weak direction, but the mysterious story is still strong enough with the 45 t record gimmick and there are Darrieux, Auclair and Servais. Very far from being a masterpiece, it's still entertaining. From Boileau and Narcejac at that time, try "Maléfices" by Decoin, his last good noir movie.

Here is another underrated French film noir. With a plot inspired by French dynamic duo Boileau-Narcejac's (Les Diaboliques, Les Louves) novel "A coeur perdu", the story focuses on Eve (Danielle Darrieux), whose husband Maurice Faugères (Jean Servais) is said to have been killed in a car accident. The widow and her lover Jean (Michel Auclair), who both wished for Maurice's death just before the accident so they could live their love together, quickly fall into turmoil as Eve starts receiving vinyls with her dead husband voice saying that he will be back soon... Plot twists are numerous and the viewer gets played often during the movie, just like the widow and her lover do. Photography by Marcel Weiss is on point and really captures the state of fear the two protagonists go through. A minor but solid French noir.

Most probably this movie tried to capitalized on the fantastic success of Les Diaboliques. From the same Boileau-Narcejac team of detective stories this one unfortunately does not work as it should. Except for Jean Servais at his cynical best, the cast is not convincing and the action drags through the usual twists of the suspense scenario.

When Boileau-Narcejac heard that Hitchcock wanted to transfer "celle qui n'était plus" (" Diabolique") to the screen,they made a lot of books on the same pattern:the dead might not be dead.It gave a masterpiece "Vertigo" (title of the book:"d'entre les morts" (=from the dead))and "a coeur perdu" which Etienne Perier transferred to the screen as "Meurtre en 45 tours" .

Darrieux's husband was killed in a car crash (accident? murder?)and did he really die?.The lady and her lover (Auclair) receive 45pm records ,with the dead's voice which threatens them "I'll come back...I'll come back".Pictures and photographs of the hubby which appear now and then are quite disturbing.

Actually this is one of the weakest Boileau-Narcejac's stories.You'll guess the culprit's name before the end .Add some very bland songs (Darrieux plays the part of a Chanteuse) and a captain not unlike Charles Vanel's in " Diabolique".

Etienne périer would continue in the detective film with such works as "la main à couper" or "Un Meurtre est un Meurtre".None of those works are particularly memorable.

Sumptuous house, great photography, beautiful Darrieux singing: MEURTRE EN 45 TOURS kicks off nicely... and it stays that way until Darrieux's caddish hubby, superbly played by the great character actor, Jean Servais, dies in an accident.

Then things begin to go down the tubes: Darrieux is asked to confirm that it is her hubby who's lying in the body bag, but she appears to look away as she approaches it, and later confirms to boytoy Auclair that she did not actually look.

From that point on, the nonsensical script simply loses all connection with logic and believability.

Uninspired direction by Etienne Périer, substandard performance from second lead Michel Auclair.