After enjoying Jacques Becker's spectacular 1949 French New Wave (FNW)-beating Rendezvous in July,I was excited to discover that fellow auteur film maker Julien Duvivier had made a movie with FNW star Jean-Pierre Léaud,which led to me getting ready to walk the boulevard.
The plot:
Falling out with his dad over his step-mother not getting on with him at all, Georges 'Jojo' Castagnier moves into a tower block based in the city of Pigalle.Due to having little money,Jojo starts to know everything about the tower block,from who lives in each flat,to the view he can catch at the top of the building.
Living next door to her, Jojo is taken by the sight of night club dancer Jenny Dorr.Being older than him,Dorr treats Jojo in a motherly manner,but stops him from taking any other steps.Brushing Jojo's advances aside,Dorr gets together with washed up boxer Dicky.Despite having another girl called Marietta Benazzi being keen to catch his sight,Jojo gets caught up in his own boxing match against Dicky.
View on the film:
Looking gorgeous in a femme fatale low-cut black top, Magali Noël gives a magnetic performance as Dorr,whose brittle one liners to Jojo delivers with a casual relish,which is joined by Noël giving Dorr a sly self-awareness over how washed up Dicky is. Punching him well above his weight, Pierre Mondy gives a great,worn-down performance as Dicky, as Mondy hits Dicky with a harsh wear and tear on his shoulders,which Mondy reveals is unable to diminish Mondy's belief of still being a Noir heavy.Standing in front of a neon-lit sign, Jean-Pierre Léaud gives an excellent,measured performance as Georges 'Jojo' Castagnier. Running to the girls with giddy delight, Léaud brilliantly blends a youthful passion with a Noir loneliness lit up as Jojo laughs into the shadows of the night.
Running down the boulevard with Jojo,the screenplay by co- writer/(along with René Barjavel) director Julien Duvivier strides onto the streets with a dazzling,off the cuff fury,as sharp near the knuckle dialogue fully displays in a coarsely chopped manner the Noir corridors of self-destruction littering the tower block. Putting him out in the world on his own,the writers superbly stick Jojo into the darkest Film Noir corner,by making all the "adults" round Jojo be more than happy to punch anyone who doubts their ways of life.
Backed by a rich Blues soundtrack from Jean Yatove,director Julien Duvivier grips the on location scenes with an on the street urgency,which weaves in and out of the hustle with rapid-fire camera moves breathlessly keeping up with Jojo's search for help in the Noir world. Spanning the entire staircase of the tower block, Duvivier & cinematographer elegantly thread Film Noir grit with lush style which puts the FNW in its place,thanks to Duvivier unfolding excellent in camera tricks which along with being a sight for the eyes,also dig into the deep Film Noir atmosphere,as Jojo goes to the rooftop and looks down on the sunset boulevard.
The plot:
Falling out with his dad over his step-mother not getting on with him at all, Georges 'Jojo' Castagnier moves into a tower block based in the city of Pigalle.Due to having little money,Jojo starts to know everything about the tower block,from who lives in each flat,to the view he can catch at the top of the building.
Living next door to her, Jojo is taken by the sight of night club dancer Jenny Dorr.Being older than him,Dorr treats Jojo in a motherly manner,but stops him from taking any other steps.Brushing Jojo's advances aside,Dorr gets together with washed up boxer Dicky.Despite having another girl called Marietta Benazzi being keen to catch his sight,Jojo gets caught up in his own boxing match against Dicky.
View on the film:
Looking gorgeous in a femme fatale low-cut black top, Magali Noël gives a magnetic performance as Dorr,whose brittle one liners to Jojo delivers with a casual relish,which is joined by Noël giving Dorr a sly self-awareness over how washed up Dicky is. Punching him well above his weight, Pierre Mondy gives a great,worn-down performance as Dicky, as Mondy hits Dicky with a harsh wear and tear on his shoulders,which Mondy reveals is unable to diminish Mondy's belief of still being a Noir heavy.Standing in front of a neon-lit sign, Jean-Pierre Léaud gives an excellent,measured performance as Georges 'Jojo' Castagnier. Running to the girls with giddy delight, Léaud brilliantly blends a youthful passion with a Noir loneliness lit up as Jojo laughs into the shadows of the night.
Running down the boulevard with Jojo,the screenplay by co- writer/(along with René Barjavel) director Julien Duvivier strides onto the streets with a dazzling,off the cuff fury,as sharp near the knuckle dialogue fully displays in a coarsely chopped manner the Noir corridors of self-destruction littering the tower block. Putting him out in the world on his own,the writers superbly stick Jojo into the darkest Film Noir corner,by making all the "adults" round Jojo be more than happy to punch anyone who doubts their ways of life.
Backed by a rich Blues soundtrack from Jean Yatove,director Julien Duvivier grips the on location scenes with an on the street urgency,which weaves in and out of the hustle with rapid-fire camera moves breathlessly keeping up with Jojo's search for help in the Noir world. Spanning the entire staircase of the tower block, Duvivier & cinematographer elegantly thread Film Noir grit with lush style which puts the FNW in its place,thanks to Duvivier unfolding excellent in camera tricks which along with being a sight for the eyes,also dig into the deep Film Noir atmosphere,as Jojo goes to the rooftop and looks down on the sunset boulevard.