Directors like Pierre Chenal are the backbone of French cinema. Content to trail in the wake of the Duviviers, Carnes, Pagnols, Renoirs, Clairs etc they turn out consistent bread-and-butter movies happy with the occasional one (L'Alibi) or two-base hit (Clochmerle, L'Assassin connait la musique)and just once in a lifetime (La Foire aux chimeres) hitting one out of the park. L'homme de nulle part is a definite two-base hit: the second in total and first Sound version of Pirandello's play it is our old friend the wish-fulfilment drama in which the protagonist, Mathias (Pierre Blanchar), has just about had it up to here with wife Ginette Leclerc and mother-in-law Catherine Fontenay when fate deals him one off the top; a stiff in the river is almost a ringer for Mathias so he shows up at his own funeral and once burned to a crisp lights out for Rome and a new life that includes a new love. Chenal's touch is masterly, Robert Le Vigan is a bonus as the jealous fiancé and it's especially nice to see Charlotte Barbiere-Krauss - so effective in the silent version of Poil de Carrotte - in her next-to-last screen appearance. Well worth anyone's time.
Review of The Man from Nowhere
