Le Quai des brumes / Port Of Shadows (1938) :
Brief Review -
The power of love and the curse of love out together in a poetic French realism drama during the war period. Marcel Carne's Port Of Shadows somewhat reminded me of Marc Allégret's cult French romantic drama "Fanny" (1932), as the set-up was pretty similar. A girl falls in love with a man who is about to ship away without telling her, and they accept love for each other just a night before his departure. Well, the conclusion portion was far different here, so let's forget all the comparisons and similarities. Port of Shadows is an intense romance set in a very strained atmosphere with a war backdrop. Although the characters aren't sympathetic, one can always believe in mad love and forgive bad human nature for that. For instance, here you have a man who is wanted by cops. The girl is 17, a little immature, and is being tortured by her grandfather and one more guy. The grandfather's character is pathetic, as he is shown madly in love with his granddaughter. I mean, who does that? What's more funny is that the same character actually constructs the main conflicts of the film's climax. Be it realistic cinema or poetic cinema, be it French, German, Italian, Russian, or American cinema, you can't show an absurd and forced love story like this unless you're making a cult like Abel Gance's "La Roue" (1923). Port of Shadows still comes to a good point where it explores the power of love and the curse of love in one shot. That's what works in the film's favour, which led me to say that it's a very good movie after all. Jean Gabin is fantastic as a soldier, while Michèle Morgan's innocent and cute face attracts you throughout the film. Michel Simon's antagonist is indeed very impressive, even though you didn't really expect him to be so with the first introduction. Marcel Carne's direction is relevant to what they called "new-age French cinema," and he certainly deserves some extra praise for that. In short, one of Gabin's best roles and films from the 30s.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The power of love and the curse of love out together in a poetic French realism drama during the war period. Marcel Carne's Port Of Shadows somewhat reminded me of Marc Allégret's cult French romantic drama "Fanny" (1932), as the set-up was pretty similar. A girl falls in love with a man who is about to ship away without telling her, and they accept love for each other just a night before his departure. Well, the conclusion portion was far different here, so let's forget all the comparisons and similarities. Port of Shadows is an intense romance set in a very strained atmosphere with a war backdrop. Although the characters aren't sympathetic, one can always believe in mad love and forgive bad human nature for that. For instance, here you have a man who is wanted by cops. The girl is 17, a little immature, and is being tortured by her grandfather and one more guy. The grandfather's character is pathetic, as he is shown madly in love with his granddaughter. I mean, who does that? What's more funny is that the same character actually constructs the main conflicts of the film's climax. Be it realistic cinema or poetic cinema, be it French, German, Italian, Russian, or American cinema, you can't show an absurd and forced love story like this unless you're making a cult like Abel Gance's "La Roue" (1923). Port of Shadows still comes to a good point where it explores the power of love and the curse of love in one shot. That's what works in the film's favour, which led me to say that it's a very good movie after all. Jean Gabin is fantastic as a soldier, while Michèle Morgan's innocent and cute face attracts you throughout the film. Michel Simon's antagonist is indeed very impressive, even though you didn't really expect him to be so with the first introduction. Marcel Carne's direction is relevant to what they called "new-age French cinema," and he certainly deserves some extra praise for that. In short, one of Gabin's best roles and films from the 30s.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.