Reviews

Quai des Orfèvres is a famous street alongside the Seine where the Parisian police has his headquarters. The place is well known by French readers because of the novels by Simenon whose the hero is the "commissaire Maigret". It's also well known by viewers because of the detective movies ("films policiers" or "polars" in French) shot in the fifties with actors like Jean Gabin.

36 Quai des Orfèvres has some qualities like the plot. It's based on a true story, the war between two police departments in the eighties. The film is full of action, and I was captivated by the rivalry between two captains played by Gérard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil. Both actors are convincing.

But there are also some flaws. There is an irritating music, too much violence and some clichés. Actors can't say a sentence without a word of slang. Besides, as in many movies nowadays, they whisper and it's was difficult for me to understand them.

However, this film is important because it marks the return of "polars" on French screens. They had disappeared for twenty years and they were reserved for television. The film is perhaps the beginning of the revival of a genre.

Vipère au poing is a french novel telling the childhood of the author Hervé Bazin. As a young boy, Bazin was confronted with his mother who was a tyrant. She had imposed a very tough way of life in the family manor. For instance, during the winter, she had forbidden any heater in the bedrooms of her children. She was finally nicknamed by them "Follcoche" for Folle (mad) and Cochonne (pig).

In 1971, a first film from the book had been shot for TV with Alice Sapritch playing the mother. At this time, the french viewers had been impressed by her acting.

Thirty years later, there is this new adaptation by Philippe de Broca. If you forget Alice Sapritch and equally the book, you can be enjoyed by the movie. Admittedly, there are some flaws in the Broca film. You can discuss the acting or you can find the voice off unpleasant. But this film is nice, it's enjoyable to see it. And it is not boring at any moment. It's too rare in the french cinema nowadays, not to be underlined.