User Reviews

This was the fifth of the six Great films directed by Marcel Carne between 1937 & 1945, again with writing collaboration from Jacques Prevert, and perhaps the most neglected. So much so I've yet to see a good print, my latest one from French TV seems to have horses galloping (albeit softly) throughout the soundtrack while the film seems to have been bashed about a bit. Never mind; Carne's career was littered with excellent films but Visiteurs was one of his best - maybe it's best seen now without thinking of metaphorical allusions to the then resistance against the Nazis (except as a piece de resistance?) And the best was still a few years off: the utter magnificence of Les Enfants Du Paradis.

France 1485: shady Gilles (square jawed Cuny) and Dominique (worldly wise Arletty) arrive at Baron Hugues castle as melancholic minstrels intent on disrupting the marriage preparations going on – as any self respecting devilish envoy would. Alas it goes awry for Gilles when he actually does fall in love with Anne the Baron's daughter (Dea) but Arletty manages to keep to her usual cynical straight and narrow course, and leads the Baron off his. It's beautifully photographed on black & white nitrate film capturing atmospheric sunny days and romantic arc-moonlit nights, gorgeous costumes and fascinating sets equally well. One can almost smell the fresh air! One slight downer: the three midgets go from startling to plain irritating with their omnipresence. It's all about Love, Honour & Purity poetically and elegantly related – which makes the denouement with the supposedly pure Anne and the for once nonplussed Devil so delightful and droll. Even if out of scope for him he should still have been able to guess that all's fair in love!

Remember: the Devil will always find work for idle hands to do, including his own. Watch it for a thoughtful two hours of breath taking beauty strolling through a lost world as portrayed by another lost world. Next: Les Enfants Du Paradis.

It's the only Carné-Prévert movie that takes place in another era,the Middle Ages.During the German occupation,it was an alibi:the Devil was meant to represent Hitler and the two lovers the Resistance.But for the people at the time,their hints at French plight were so disguised -or else,it would have been banned by the censorship-,they only saw the escapist movie which they did need.Over the years,the movie has lost some of its charms:after a brilliant introduction,the pace remains too slow and it's hard to believe that Alain Cuny and Marie Déa are eaten with desire.As always in Carné's movies,it's the supporting cast that walks out with the honors:Arletty is as splendid as ever in her androgynous beauty,and Jules Berry is ideally cast as the Devil.Though it remains inferior to "le jour se lève" and "les enfants du paradis" ,"les visiteurs du soir" is a curiosity for French movies buffs.People who like it should see "l'éternel retour",a collaboration between Jean Delannoy and Jean Cocteau.

NB :"Children of paradise " also takes place in another era ,the nineteenth century;sorry.

A relatively little-known but fascinating movie. Made during the German occupation of France, the film is set in the Late Middle Ages and deals with two envoys of the devil, Gilles and Dominique (Alain Cuny and Arletty, wonderful both) that arrive posing as wandering minstrels at the castle of a Baron where preparations for an upcoming wedding are being made. Their intention is to create havoc by breaking the hearts of all involved. These envoys have extraordinary powers to achieve these goals, like slowing time to a stop so that they can work on their targets at ease. Eventually, the very devil shows up at the castle in disguise. One can argue that the devil in the movie stands for Hitler and the Nazis and so forth, but the film works even if you don't try to watch it as a metaphor for the contemporary events of the time. The movie is memorable and evocative, with many great scenes and a great ending.

At the end of the 15th century, two minstrels (Gilles and Dominique) come from nowhere into the castle of Baron Hugues. Gilles charms Anne, Hughes' daughter, while Dominique charms both Hugues and Ann's fiancé. Gilles and Dominique are not really in love: they are sent by the Devil to desperate people. But Ann is so pure that Gilles is caught to his own trap. How will they fight against the Devil?

One of the reasons that the film was such a huge success was due to murmuring before the film was released that the film was an allegory for the current situation. Many people saw the character of the Devil as representing Hitler and the continued beating hearts of the lovers as representing France living under German rule, but not giving up hope. Carné maintained until his death that the film was not an intentional allegory for the war and that any relationship was purely unconscious.

As far as French fantasy films go, this is not the greatest one out there. For me, that would probably be "Donkeyskin". But this does have a few things going for it. One, it is much earlier than "Donkeyskin", so has the advantage of being first. Two, it has the Devil, which rises it from fantasy or fairy tale to a more religious context, meaning that deeper symbolism can be found (whether intended or not).

But I think its best quality is the association with Hitler that the Devil has, as noted above. I am willing to believe this was not intentional. But it does seem like a great message to get out of a film made during the occupation... this is a country of Frenchmen who had to keep their French pride in check. That turns this into a patriotic film, even if it has nothing to do with 20th century France on the surface.

Simply the most beautiful and moving movie that stemmed from the "réalisme poétique" movement. A truly atemporal story, despite the resistance allusions which can live long after the end of WWII.

What makes me really love this movie is the contrast between the very dated conventions of acting, the seemingly slow pace that was the rule at a time the video clips were still waiting in an unforeseeable future and the perfect consistency of the characters and psychology. The emotion is still intact no matter how much the way actors and directors are supposed to convey it has changed over decades.

What a bunch of great actors! True professionals working seamlessly together to serve a masterly written script. I really advise non-french speaking people to watch it in original version with subtitles, to enjoy the music of Prevert's poetic lines.

This movie is a real gem.

Here is a fine production by Julien Duvivier.

I had the impression to be one of the castle's festivity and the arrival of the "Visiteurs" added a mysterious ingredient that had, at the beginning at least, nothing of the despair that was part of their demoniacal mission.

The enchantment provoked by the satanic couple was a pure wonder. That momentary paralysis of a whole small world between two exciting scenes emphasized Arletty's and Cuny's masterly talent.

Jules Berry's play (the Devil) was so fascinating that it made me longing for a ticket to Hell.

That high class "fantasia" glide far over all those easy big budget "fantastic" productions which flood the film fans since too long.

One of my most favorite movies of all time is The Seventh Seal (Swedish: Det sjunde inseglet) that masterpiece made in 1957, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Les visiteurs du soir too is made in black and white and a fantasy movie or tale set in a historical setting, but it is much less dark than Bergman's vision. Whereas 7th Seal is a tragedy, a drama, Les visiteurs du soir got far more elements of romance and comedy. In Bergman's movie the great chess player is Death, the reaper, in Marcel Carné's movie the great master of puppets is the Devil, the seducer. A good one and recommended if you like to watch such "plays". Last note: remarkable is also the production, especially if you are aware that the movie was shot during the German occupation of France in 1942.

The beauty of this stand-out collaboration between Jacques Prevert and Marcel Carne - in the middle of their great hitting streak - is that it works even without the 'coded' references which were a necessity at a time of German Occupation in France. So even when you watch Jules Berry as just the Devil and not a symbol for Hitler and likewise view the two visitors not as symbols of the Resistance but merely two wandering minstrels it still plays and you'll go a long way to find a more poetic image/symbol than Prevert's finale in which the Devil turns the lovers to stone before our eyes yet their hearts keep on beating. Not least of the pleasures on offer is future icon Simone Signoret as an extra but the whole schmeer, complete with some tasty lyrics by Prevert, is a total delight. 8/10

This is an 82 years old/2 hours movie. One might expect it drags at some point, but no, pace is excellent, i never lost my interest, there is always something going on. Of course, it helps if you know what this is about. This is a drama/fantasy/romance, like a fairy tale for adults. Any romantic soul will appreciate it. It's not a masterpiece, it's not among the best movies of Carne/Prevert, actually i prefer the other collaborations of them. Still, it's enjoyable, legendary Arletty gives another great acting performance, other actors as well and if you love this genre, you are gonna like it at least, it's possible that you might even love it.

The heavy censorship imposed during the german occupation made it difficult for cineasts to find non controversial subjects. Jacques Prévert and Marcel Carné came up with this medieval tale of love and sorcery with a prestigious cast of great actors. It has been claimed that the beating heart in the statue was a symbol of the Resistance.

Unbelievably great film. And chilling. At one point I had to press pause and walk away. Granted I do not watch very many truly shocking films but that never happens with me. The story takes place in 1485 but it's about events in 1940. The great director Marcel Carné, for whatever reason, insisted, until his death, the film was not an allegory for Hitler and WWII and that any correlation was unintentional. Why would he deny it for 52 more years after the liberation of Paris? The similarity is astounding and it's surprising that Nazi censors never caught on to ban this film. Carné was under Nazi leadership when he made this. It could have gotten him sent to a concentration camp. But he was sneaky and to this day we have an amazing film about Hitler's rise and the French Resistance. Tremendously well acted. Some complain the film's a little slow but everything builds so nicely and has its place. A masterpiece and highly recommended!

8.7 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

The film being produced during the Nazi occupation years by André Paulvé and directed by Marcel Carné leaves some stones not turned over but in spite of all things related to the weather, financing, and German ultimate control of film production. 'Les Visiteurs du Soir,' is a firm declaration that true love can survive in spite of any of the devil's attempts to refute any realism and transcendence of the love between two human souls.

A devil's envoy falls in love with Anne, a woman who is engaged to marry another man. Gilles has signed an agreement in blood with the devil to relinquish his soul and must therefore assist him in obtaining more souls. Dominique, also a devil's envoy, gets both Barons Renaud and Hugue to accept the love of herself, despite the fact that she is incapable of loving. Obtaining promises from both of them is enough.

I know nothing of the director, and after reading other reviews, I certainly know nothing of any correlation between the Nazi occupation of France and Hitler as relating to the film, as far as metaphor and allegory goes. And I'm so glad I had no prior knowledge of any of that, because I was thoroughly delighted and impressed with this true piece of art.

I'm not a huge fan of period pieces, so when I realized it was set in the 15th century, I was inclined to stop watching. But after 10 to 15 minutes, I was hooked. The next thing I knew, I was an hour into it and enthralled. And I'm so glad I saw it through until the end.

The acting is wonderful. The story and screenplay are quite slick, especially the dialogue. The costuming, cinematography, music, etc., all work together to create a seamless product.

If you are a fan of French cinema, especially during the 1940s, I highly recommend this. If you're new to French cinema, this may not be an ideal introduction, but the storyline is universal enough to please.

I'll be the first to admit that I am probably a little more adventurous than many of my movie watching friends and co-workers. Whereas a majority of them will stick to recent or popular fare I have taken an active interest in the history of the film industry and thus will often research great movies from the past. I'm curious to know if movies that have been universally acclaimed as great or classic films are truly great or are they merely reaping the benefit of nostalgia. A movie could be great for it's time or classic in a sense of the era that it was created in or even by who was involved in it's creation. I think it's safe to say that the technological advances in the modern film industry are unprecedented and cannot be ignored. With that being said, technology, in my opinion, cannot replace, diminish or supersede intelligent writing, inspired direction and career-defining performances by legendary actors. The passage of time and the boundaries of language can't lesson the ability of art to captivate those who appreciate artistic things. This is the case with "Les Visituers Du Soir". Despite it's lack of color imagery and it's French only audio or it's age (released in 1942) Marcel Carne's medieval fantasy does not fail to entertain. In doesn't attempt to overwhelm or distract you with excessive action or special effects like most modern fantasies. Rather it delivers convincing depictions of a time and a place that we could only read about before. It's characters and their motivations are easy to relate to and it's pacing is both leisurely and deliberate. It's themes of love, lust, happiness, sadness, jealousy, rejection, hope and despair are universal. I won't cover the plot because so many others have done so but I will give this film my unconditional recommendation to fans of world cinema or just cinema in general. See it.

Such a beautiful, ethereal film, which boggles my mind given the horror of WWII and Nazi occupation of France at the time. I confess that any film which features the Devil as a character already has a leg up in my book, and this one adds in elements of romantic love and seduction, which was a dreamy plus. The cast is as beautiful as the script, including Arletta, Marie Déa, Alain Cuny, Marcel Herrand, and a brief cameo from Simone Signoret.

The premise is simple: in 1485, the Devil sends a man (Gilles, played by Cuny) and woman (Dominique, Arletty) to a castle to wreak havoc on the impending marriage between a baron's daughter (Anne, Déa) and her fiancé (Renaud, Herrand). Despite working for the Prince of Darkness, Gilles has a soft side, and works on Anne by appealing to her heart, though toys with her by threatening to take his love away. Still, they are both good-hearted, as we see in his helping others and her feeling sympathy for the three deformed people brought to court (who delightfully turn out to be demonic imps, and I wish we had seen more of in the second half of the film). Meanwhile Dominique appeals to Renaud's physical desire, and toys with him by also flirting with the baron, his prospective father-in-law. These two have more of a cold-hearted edge, with Renaud's enjoying hunting and warfare, and Dominique confessing that she can feel nothing for others.

It's probably too simplistic to think that the two pairs represent only love and lust, since both of the envoys get their targets into bed, but clearly Anne and Gilles represent a simple purity of heart. They are serene while Renaud and the baron challenge one another to a duel to the death. Further drama ensues when Gilles makes the mistake of falling in love with Anne, thus bringing his boss onto the scene (Jules Berry).

The story is told by Marcel Carné with lots of simple but endearing special effects, like the envoys stopping time at a celebratory dance, Dominique replacing the portrait of the Baron's dead wife, and a dissolve where Gilles and Anne go to the fountain in their minds despite being chained up, only to be confronted by the Devil, and shown what's taking place at a duel through reflections in the water. The script is also loaded with romantic lines and deep feeling, though it lags a bit while it's being delivered over its 118 minutes. It was likely a complete escape from what was going on in the world - but then again, with the Devil causing mayhem in the story and God absent, it's easy to conceive of a connection (though Carné, to his credit, was honest and said this was not his intention). Tellingly though, it's only through sacrifice, courage, and love that evil can be confronted, not through divine rescue.

Quotes: "As soon as I saw you, I knew you'd come for me. I knew it. I'm sure my life will change."

"You hunted me like a cat hunts a mouse. But we're both cats, there is no mouse. It's not our fault. We both thought we'd caught a tender new victim."

"Why be frightened? Life is full of mysteries, isn't it? A bird, an apple, a beast, the sun, the trees in these woods, even us - we don't know from whence we come or where we go. Isn't that marvelous?"

"Is it possible to totally belong to another?" "Some call that love." "Then is love like death? We no longer exist? It's all over? Why? If you love me, don't hurt me, don't lock me up, let me live! Love me as I love you - simply."

"Do you cling, like ivy, to your memories?"

"Alas, we are under a spell, and once it dissipates, you'll see me as I truly am - miserable and alone."

"If it's a sin to give myself to the one I love, I don't regret it."

"Think of me as if it were the last time."