1961's small film, "The Menace" is quite an impressive, intelligently made film noir starring Robert Hossein and Marie Jose Nat, who, I single out as giving a fantastically nuanced performance that is supremely supportive to the production. It is quite an accomplishment. Robert Hossein is sufficiently dubious as an older chemist who intrudes on Nat's character's naivete as she is a troubled youth, an orphant who being cared for by an self-centered ex-opera singer uncle played by Paolo Stoppa who uses her as servant until she rebels with hopes of joining a moped gang, causing her indiscretion of lying to impress them when one turns up strangled, and then getting caught up in her lies. The film was the first by director Gerard Oury that I've seen and it was well-written by Frederic Dard, Alain Poire and Oury. The script is a marvel of succinctness contributing to the splendid direction. The script is based on Dard's novel, "Les Mariolles" and Hossein's father Andre does the music for this one. Elsa Martinelli is also in the cast as Hossein's wife. B & W
Review of La menace
