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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2019 8:39:19 GMT
I just finished Maîtresse (1976) and I might have blinked twice during the whole thing. I love it when movies from the past make me say well, that's new. Or that's something you don't see everyday. Half of my pursuits, especially old movies, are chasing those ethereal experiences where movies make me feel something to the point of being touched.
Moving on, it's about the amusingly ugly but not unattractive Gérard Depardieu falling for a dominatrix after she catches him and his even dumber friend burgling the thought-to-be-empty apartment beneath hers, which is this just astounding sex dungeon.
I haven't seen too many French movies, not enough to notice too many themes that follow directors, genres or decades. Maîtresse is one of...only a few, maybe literally two classic French films I've seen. The other is Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes without a Face) (1960). I have The Last Metro (1980) in the queue as well.
Les Yeux Sans Visage is about a doctor gone quietly mad with grief at trying to surgically restore his daughter's face, even going so far as to lure women like his daughter (genetic compatibility, I guess), forcibly sedate them and steal their face. His wife's in on it too. She does all the predator legwork and body disposal.
Les Yeux Sans Visage, which was really good, made me think of similar movies. Les Yeux Sans Visage brings the total number of movies with a similar plot to about 3-4. That plot revolves around stealing faces. Stealing them or covering a disfigured face with a mask and exploring how it changes the character. There's Les Yeux Sans Visage (France), The Face of Another (Japanese), Corruption (Britain), Vanilla Sky (America), and Open Your Eyes (Spain, and also the film Vanilla Sky is based on).
It seems to transcend cultures, in enough examples that I think there may be a pattern.
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Post by teleadm on Apr 9, 2019 7:31:54 GMT
Happy 86th Birthday Jean Paul Belmondo!!!  or Joyeux Anniversaire!!! Born on April 9, 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Seine.  Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s and one of the biggest French film stars of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.  Belmondo's first leading role, Les copains du dimanche 1958, it promoted the trade union movement and was not seen in commercial cinemas.  À bout de souffle aka Breathless 1959, with Jean Seberg.  Léon Morin, prêtre 1961  Cartouche 1962  Un singe en hiver aka A Monkey in Winter 1962, with Jean Gabin.  Week-end à Zuydcoote aka Weekend at Dunkirk 1964  Pierrot le Fou 1965  Le voleur aka The Thief of Paris 1967  Le Cerveau aka The Brain 1969, with David Niven and Bourvil.  La sirène du Mississippi aka Mississippi Mermaind 1969, with Catherine Deneuve  Borsalino 1970, with Alain Delon  Le Casse aka The Burglars 1971, with Dyan Cannon  Stavisky 1974, with Charles Boyer  L'Animal 1977, with Raquel Welsh  Hold-up 1985, in a clown make-up.  Les Misérables 1995  He suffered a stroke in 2001 and was subsequently absent from the stage and the screen until 2009 when he appeared in Un Homme et Son Chien aka A Man and His Dog, with Max von Sydow.  1990 on stage in a highly suddessful production as Cyrano de Bergerac. Jean-Paul Belmondo has acted in over 90 movies and television productions, so the above pics was just a small sample from his amazing career.  |
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Post by wmcclain on Apr 10, 2019 21:19:47 GMT
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Post by Aj_June on Apr 14, 2019 2:36:57 GMT
Hi all,I was surprised to recently learn about a Western from France in 1932!  "I'd like to be hung listening to music. A little tune, if you don't mind." The Wandering Beast (1932) 6 Set in Alaska, director Marco de Gastyne wraps the Western in a rustic, grizzly atmosphere of warmly lit pubs where bar room brawls break out, and it is surrounded by never ending snow. Taking Hurricane and Flossie across the snowy wilderness, Gasyne elegantly glides with them in wide panning shots following them into the deserted wasteland. Not credited anywhere online, but thankfully listed in the opening credits, the screenplay by Gastyne sends Hurricane into the pub with a gust of pessimism over seeing Flossie , and facing rough encounters with the locals. Bringing them together, Gastyne’s moves away from the Western into misplaced Melodrama,with the ending being an abrupt jump into the future. Finding that the woman of his dreams did not wait for his return from the Gold Rush, Maurice Maillot gives a terrific turn,as the worn-down,but far from out loner outlaw Hurricane. In her last role, the cute Choura Milena gives an alluring performance as Flossie, who is kept by Milena as a mirage towards the wandering beast. Any movie that has snow/mountains is always welcome for me. Don't know why but I am very fascinated by mountains.
Thanks for all your reviews, Dylan. I have an exam scheduled in June so I am a bit short on time but I would get back to your suggestions in July and see a few of them.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Apr 23, 2019 21:56:49 GMT
Hi all,getting back in the groove with viewings,this was one I was not that keen on seeing due to the bad rep it has,but happily found it to be far better than expected.  For One Cent's Worth of Hope (1932) 7 “The thief was the canteen keeper’s monkey.” Later calling the film “A mistake”, directing auteur Jean Gremillon turns out to be far too critical of his own creation, as Gremillon & cinematographer Paul Cotteret sail in with a beautiful opening dolly shop across the deck of a ship, which curls into overhead tracking shots and an angelic glow for Francoise (a sweet Josseline Gael.) Pre-dating his excellent La dolorosa (1934-also reviewed) Gremillon builds on his motif of song and dance (but not Musical)numbers laying at the heart of the relationships, which crescendos with a long gliding shot backed by Albert Chantrier’s heavenly score. Dropping the penny on what likely left Gremillon with a bad taste, the screenplay by Henry Falk/ Alfred Machard and Pierre Maudru becomes stuck after the opening sequence of being at odds with itself,via the sweeping romance and thieving being elbowed with broad Comedy which stands out of touch not only with the characters, but with Gremillon’s thoughtful stylisation. In the middle of this push-pull, Jean Diener stands out in his turn as Furet,thanks to Diener eyeing the comedic sides,while keeping hold of Furet’s more serious side in being after a cent of hope. |
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Apr 25, 2019 2:09:35 GMT
Hi all,after reading the 9/10 out of 10 reviews on IMDb,and being unable to get English Subs to work on the first viewing attempt, this was one of the French 1932 titles I was most hyped-up for,which ended up being the first from '32, where whilst watching,I thought: "Is this it?"  ”Resign yourself to events.” Fanny (1932) 7 For the second film in the trilogy, Criterion present a terrific transfer, with the clean image allowing for the silk Melodrama to be fully sighted,and the soundtrack to crispy play. Originating on stage,director Marc Allegret & cinematographer Nikolai Toporkoff keep the film tied round the theatrical roots, via long, stilted takes giving the cast (many of whom had played the roles on stage) large breathing space to form their performances. Transitioning to Marius’s not having been part of Fanny’s life for years, Allegret sows a smooth Melodrama atmosphere in the second half,as long, gliding shots look out to sea with Fanny, and striking close-ups bring the final discussion on fatherhood to a precise,reverberating note.Bringing his own show to the screen, Marcel Pagnol decision to stay true to the roots of the tale in his adaptation pulls the first half of the movie down,due to the simple Melodrama outline (guy leaves girl to join Navy, girl finds she is pregnant, girl gets married to friendly older man to avoid being scorned by society) being tugged by a repetitiveness which keeps hitting the same dragged-out point over and over again. Whilst containing some marks in being part of a trilogy, Pagnol impressively makes this entry be one that can be enjoyed on its own term, as the return Marius in the second half brings a playfulness which makes the Melodrama flow, as Fanny sights a ghost from the past, and Marius’s own dad Cesar expressing in wonderful poetic dialogue why Panisse is the true father of Marius’s child. Reuniting after part 1 Marius (1931) in the series, Raimu,Pierre Fresnay, Fernand Charpin and Orane Demazis give superb ensemble performances, from Fresnay’s short-fuse Melodrama lover Marius and Fernand Charpin considerate, understanding Panisse , all being capped by Raimu subtly shifting Cesar from anger to quiet compassion,whilst Demazis owns the title role,by not only carrying a child, but the troubles of the world on the shoulders of Fanny.
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Post by teleadm on Apr 27, 2019 14:32:21 GMT
Just wanted to remind that Anouk Aimëe is still with us, as she turned 87 today!   Les amants de Vérone 1949  La Dolce Vita 1960  With a melody that swept the world, A Man and a Woman 1966  Altman's love it or leave it movie Prêt-à-Porter aka Ready to Wear 1994 There is not to my knowledge any biography, so all authers, before it's to late, take notes! |
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Apr 30, 2019 13:02:44 GMT
Hi all,having enjoyed Fantômas,I decided to watch Pál Fejös other 1932 French title:  Spring Shower (1932) 5. ”These are the mothers who from high up in paradise,send furious downpours of rain and hail,to protect the virtue of their young girls.” Shot by the same team along with a Hungarian version,and the same year the director did the excellent Fantomas (1932-also reviewed), co-writer/(with Ilona Fulop) director Pal Fejos leans the title towards Silent Melodrama, via the dialogue kept minimal, and a majority of scenes being carried by the score. Gracefully raising Marie to a heavenly final set-piece, Fejos spends the rest of the title grinding Marie down,with swift tracking shots following Marie get thrown out by the locals. Owning a heart of gold, the screenplay by Fejos and Fulop send Marie (played by an wonderfully expressive “ Annabella”) into a biblical fall from grace, as brisk Melodrama unfolds where every branch in life Marie tries to grip snaps,and she finds herself in the wilderness,under a Spring shower. |
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Post by morrisondylanfan on May 2, 2019 2:13:58 GMT
Hi all,although I've got what looks like one last step to take to cross the finishing line (and also about to see Malle's Black Moon (1974) on the big screen),this is the last 1932 French film I have on disc. Interested in it since 2014,the title lived up to all my expectations:  “The stretcher-bearers will come once it gets dark,I have to wait for nightfall without losing consciousness.” Wooden Crosses. 10 One of two titles they have put out (up to now) from the film maker,Masters of Cinema present a superb transfer, with the image retaining the original grain, whilst remaining smooth during more rapid camera moves,and the layered soundtrack being kept in tact. Holding a bond with Pathe studio head Bernard Natan over examining war on film “In such a way to get people to hate and despise it.” Co-writer/(with André Lang) directing auteur Raymond Bernard & cinematographers René Ribault and Jules Kruger (who’d reunite with Bernard on Les Miserables (1934)) go to the front line with ground-breaking techniques. Filmed at real No Mans Land locations (Bernard said in an interview that bodies of WWI soldiers were found as they dug trenches for the production) Bernard makes the heavy cameras of the era move with an astonishing fluidness,in Bernard targeting an atmosphere of documentary rawness,from the scatter-gun whip-pans and tracking shots treading along the unfolding horror on the battle fields. Continuing to build on his recurring visual theme of shots drenched in long,imposing shadows, (which would continue being explored in his titles such as the Film Noir Maya (1949-also reviewed) Bernard crawls the viewer over ever inch fought for on No Man’s Land with a breathtaking battle set entirely at night time,lit by the lone flares cast across the sky and the flickering of flames from the pounding guns. Blowing out countless microphones over attempts to get “The real sound of war” , Bernard finally hit his target via lining the microphones in various levels of distances from the fired weapons, create a distinctive wave sound design, where the reverberating jolt of gun fires ring out from the battlefields,and shakes the walls of the trenches. Attempting to find shelter in a grave yard, Bernard and Lang’s adaptation of Roland Dorgeles takes a deeply thoughtful, humanist touch to the screenplay, with all the classes deep in the trenches being treated as equals, all held together by the loss of hope and humanity that sings out across the No Man’s Land of wooden crosses. |
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Post by morrisondylanfan on May 4, 2019 20:33:57 GMT
Hi all,after starting on the 5th of March with The Dreamy Mouth (1932),I've now seen every French film from 1932 currently with English Subtitles on disc or torrent (I had only seen 2 of them before this run.) When deciding on what the last viewing would be, manfromplanetx and hitchcockthelegend came to mind when I found this Film Noir: Robert Siodmak's Tumultes (1932) 8 An OK print on YT with Eng Subs:  “Gentlemen, if every man was doing like me,you would think twice before destroying a married couple.” One of four films he made in 1932, (the others being Quick,and alternative language versions of Quick and Tumultes) auteur director Robert Siodmak & cinematographers Gunther “Metropolis” Rittau and Otto Baecker eye up the effect of being locked in the big house has had on Schwarz, via Siodmak and the cinematographers stylishly obscuring the view with objects placed at the front of shots,and Siodmak darting the camera across the flats where people look out and see Schwarz’s fist fights,reflecting the blinded vision of Schwarz to all the changes from his friends and lover. Wonderfully cross-cutting between circling fireworks and a circling death of a relationship, Siodmak grinds a brittle Film Noir atmosphere, as refined tracking shots follow the grubby Schwarz down charcoal side-streets,leading to the glamour and glitz surrounding Schwarz’s old dame Ania, which he is unable to fit back into. Released from jail expecting society to have stood still, the screenplay by Robert Liebmann/ Yves Mirande and Hans Muller keep everyone on-edge over igniting Schwarz’s short-fuse in discovering that he is now an outcast of high society. Stealing items in an attempt to blend back in, the writers give Schwarz’s love for Ania a seeping decay, rung from Ania desiring her current lover, but living in fear over Schwarz’s response. Given a set in stone image by Schwarz,”Florelle” gives a great turn as Ania, whose glamour is used by Florelle as a mask to hide the fears and desires she now holds against her former lover.Wishing to roll back the years, Charles Boyer gives a cracking turn as Schwarz, whose dreams of getting back with the old gang Boyer tightly screws into finding that the real jail is the outside world. Top 5 French films of 1932 (in order): 1:Poil de carotte ( Duvivier) 2:Wooden Crosses (Bernard) 3:Lilac (Litvak) 4:Boudu Saved from Drowning (Renoir) 5:Tumultes (Siodmak.)
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Post by manfromplanetx on May 5, 2019 0:34:58 GMT
Hi all,after starting on the 5th of March with The Dreamy Mouth (1932),I've now seen every French film from 1932 currently with English Subtitles on disc or torrent (I had only seen 2 of them before this run.) When deciding on what the last viewing would be, manfromplanetx and hitchcockthelegend came to mind when I found this Film Noir: Many Thanks to you MDF !! , I have read with great interest all of your 1932 and later French viewings, your wonderful reviews and insight has highlighted so many exciting recommendations, I am very much looking forward to some entertaining Classic French cinema with some titles arriving last week I just added to an order the Siodmak and Litvak titles and will get back to you soon with my thoughts Happy Classic Viewing to you...
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 5, 2019 15:10:43 GMT
Hi all,after starting on the 5th of March with The Dreamy Mouth (1932),I've now seen every French film from 1932 currently with English Subtitles on disc or torrent (I had only seen 2 of them before this run.) When deciding on what the last viewing would be, manfromplanetx and hitchcockthelegend came to mind when I found this Film Noir: Robert Siodmak's Tumultes (1932) 8 An OK print on YT with Eng Subs: “Gentlemen, if every man was doing like me,you would think twice before destroying a married couple.” One of four films he made in 1932, (the others being Quick,and alternative language versions of Quick and Tumultes) auteur director Robert Siodmak & cinematographers Gunther “Metropolis” Rittau and Otto Baecker eye up the effect of being locked in the big house has had on Schwarz, via Siodmak and the cinematographers stylishly obscuring the view with objects placed at the front of shots,and Siodmak darting the camera across the flats where people look out and see Schwarz’s fist fights,reflecting the blinded vision of Schwarz to all the changes from his friends and lover. Wonderfully cross-cutting between circling fireworks and a circling death of a relationship, Siodmak grinds a brittle Film Noir atmosphere, as refined tracking shots follow the grubby Schwarz down charcoal side-streets,leading to the glamour and glitz surrounding Schwarz’s old dame Ania, which he is unable to fit back into. Released from jail expecting society to have stood still, the screenplay by Robert Liebmann/ Yves Mirande and Hans Muller keep everyone on-edge over igniting Schwarz’s short-fuse in discovering that he is now an outcast of high society. Stealing items in an attempt to blend back in, the writers give Schwarz’s love for Ania a seeping decay, rung from Ania desiring her current lover, but living in fear over Schwarz’s response. Given a set in stone image by Schwarz,”Florelle” gives a great turn as Ania, whose glamour is used by Florelle as a mask to hide the fears and desires she now holds against her former lover.Wishing to roll back the years, Charles Boyer gives a cracking turn as Schwarz, whose dreams of getting back with the old gang Boyer tightly screws into finding that the real jail is the outside world. Top 5 French films of 1932 (in order): 1:Poil de carotte ( Duvivier) 2:Wooden Crosses (Bernard) 3:Lilac (Litvak) 4:Boudu Saved from Drowning (Renoir) 5:Tumultes (Siodmak.) Siodmak is enough to grab my attention! 
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Post by manfromplanetx on May 23, 2019 21:23:42 GMT
Hi all,after downloading it a few weeks ago,I decided it was time to view a Robert Hossein Noir.  “The worst thing in the world after stupidity is clumsiness.” 10. … Rossi being drained of nothing else to care for but holding his dream woman again Hi there MDF I left off reading your review until I had seen The Road to Shame aka Des femmes disparaissent (1959) . Struck by the stunning image and inspired by your highest rating, the film looked very much like a must see French Classic. So going in unknown wow what a knockout surprise we got last night, perched on the edge of our seats before this beautifully crafted intense noir thriller. French filmmakers really take the crime film genre to another level, evident in films seen from this era . I really could not add any more to your descriptive glowing review I love your summing up of Hossein's Rossi, and would just like to say Many Thanks !!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on May 28, 2019 3:09:47 GMT
Hi all,after downloading it a few weeks ago,I decided it was time to view a Robert Hossein Noir. “The worst thing in the world after stupidity is clumsiness.” 10. … Rossi being drained of nothing else to care for but holding his dream woman again Hi there MDF I left off reading your review until I had seen The Road to Shame aka Des femmes disparaissent (1959) . Struck by the stunning image and inspired by your highest rating, the film looked very much like a must see French Classic. So going in unknown wow what a knockout surprise we got last night, perched on the edge of our seats before this beautifully crafted intense noir thriller. French filmmakers really take the crime film genre to another level, evident in films seen from this era . I really could not add any more to your descriptive glowing review I love your summing up of Hossein's Rossi, and would just like to say Many Thanks !! Hi Planet X,I hope you had a good weekend,and I'm sorry about the late reply. I'm absolutely thrilled to read that The Road to Shame went down so well! I was wondering if you found the influence of Nina Companeez/ Michel Deville? I found the striking use of smash-cuts for Robert Hossein'sfights in the house to remind me of the very good (but more comedic edge) fights in Deville's later team-up with Companeez: Lucky Jo (1964). On a comment you made in another thread,I completely agree about The Beat That My Heart Skipped being far from the best French crime film of the 2000's-now,esp with the likes of Love Crime (2010) and You Will Be My Son (2011) being far more deserving of the spot.
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Post by manfromplanetx on May 30, 2019 23:37:32 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed Tumultes (1932) last night THANKS so much morrisondylanfan Loved Boyer's dark fatalistic performance the wonderful femme fatale Florell , her lovely friend Yvonne (Clara Tambour) showcasing some gorgeous French 30s fashion from the famous Swiss born costume designer René Hubert and of course the fabulous direction from Robert Siodmak. An atmospheric drama built on as the title suggests, disorder confusion turmoil. With inspired artistic cinematic expression Siodmak crafted some truly sublime moments bathed in glorious shadowy compositions. With shades of my favourite of Siodmak's Hollywood noirs Criss Cross (1949) this is a wonderful film ...  |
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 31, 2019 2:12:06 GMT
I am definitely watching Quai des Orfèvres (1947) this weekend!
And mdf I haven't forgotten about The Pearl either for my 1947 quest.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on May 31, 2019 3:07:01 GMT
I am definitely watching Quai des Orfèvres (1947) this weekend!
And mdf I haven't forgotten about The Pearl either for my 1947 quest. That is terrific to read Spike (I think that Quai is an underrated flick in HGC's credits.) On a small note,The Pearl is a Mexican film. After reading Planet X's response above,I think the Siodmak will be one that you will get a lot out from.
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Post by wmcclain on Jun 25, 2019 11:54:09 GMT
Army of Shadows (1969), written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The French Resistance to German occupation in WW2 immediately became the stuff of legend. Only gradually as the years passed was the mythology picked apart: not everyone supported the Resistance and the nation was not unified in opposition to the invaders. This serious, dark-toned film gives us a kind of an "underground procedural" of how war in the shadows worked. We follow a set of people who really are heroic, even if it may not seem to to them at the time. They have to do terrible things. Critics complained that they spend more time executing traitors in their own ranks than in fighting the Germans. Said the director: this is how it was. The plot is taken from contemporary accounts. Melville adapted his screenplay from an account written during the war. The underground leader is based on Jean Cavaillès, tortured and shot by the Gestapo. This was a case where the film did well in France but critics were able to kill its reputation. They objected to Melville's devotion to DeGaul, a wartime hero and president, but then out of favor. The film was not even shown in America until 2006, when French critics were reevaluating it. The cinematography has that "black and white in color" look of the crime pictures Melville did just before and after this: Le Samouraï (1967) and Le Cercle Rouge (1970). The director denied any sort of shared world view between the Resistance and crime films, but you can see a lot of overlap: tough men, violence, secret gangs, authority and counters to it. On Blu-ray from Criterion, but now out of print. Film historian Ginette Vincendeau gives a detailed analysis, both of the film and the historical events. The director -- born Jean-Pierre Grumbach -- picked "Melville" as his code name in the Resistance, his homage to the American writer. 
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jul 16, 2019 2:02:28 GMT
Hi all,after the Japanese duo,I decided to dig into the French titles waiting to be played.  Caprices (1942) 8. “A caprice,can make the heart unhappy.” Placing the glass slipper on Lise with chic swipe edits,co-writer/(with Andre Cayatte/ Jacques “dad of Nina” Companeez and fellow film maker Raymond Bernard)director Leo Joannon & cinematographer Jules Kruger bake a fluffy, fairy tale atmosphere in elegant panning shots round Lise being the star of every ball, glittering in high above wide-shots under a chandelier, to winding shots down streets over her sparkling clothes displaying Lise becoming a dream princess. Sitting down to Lise acting in a imploding stage show before her wishes are granted, Joannon contrasts the high-life with jump-cuts on Lise and her entourage being confronted by cops, looped with cramped whip-pans during Lise’s attempts to perform on stage. Mentioning Cinderella a number times in the film, the writers pour the basic outline of the fairy tale out and whisk up a a tantalising, dreamy tale, via Lise’s down on her luck roots of having to struggle as a actress and a poor flower seller being kept in tact even as she gets to the ball on time. Unhappy with Lise stepping on his toes, Jean Paredes slices the film with a comedic relish as Constant, whose eye rolls and off the cuff comments high light the luxuries Lise is becoming surrounded by. Looking immaculate from her stage intro, alluring Danielle Darrieux gives a fantastic turn as Lise,thanks to Darrieux being able to twist Lise’s humble beginnings into a street smart,playful confidence among the caprices. |
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jul 17, 2019 1:32:48 GMT
Hi all,after Caprices last night,I decided to pair it up with another French film from 1942:  ”To have results, you must burn incense to the high and mighty.” Gambling Hell 8/10. Gambling in production the beginning and the end of the Occupation of France, director Jean Delannoy & cinematographer Nicolas Hayer make the backstage troubles disappear by heating a smoking hot atmosphere from sweltering white light basking down on the gamblers and arms dealers. Going pass a tourist poster for Japan in the long opening panning shot, Delannoy rolls the dices in bustling casinos, (which include a early use of CCTV!) where the flipping of cards is matched by ultra-stylised sweeps up to the balcony towards placing their hopes on red, which burns into a final which leaves all the seedy underworld operations bombed out of town. One of the few films from the era featuring a Euro and Asia cast,Pierre-Gilles Veber and Roger Vitrac’s adaptation of Maurice Dekobra’s novel treats everyone a equal deep shade of grey in the cut-throat world of gambling and arms smuggling. Keeping the Melodrama bubbling away with the terrific entanglement of hard-nosed Krall saving siren Mireille from death, that gets smoothly mixed with the Film Noir grit chipped from Krall trying to break the winning racketeering hand of Macao underworld boss Tchai. Using force to make sure his house always wins, Sessue Hayakawa gives a great performance as Tchai, whose sharp suits and slippery dialogue delivery are used by Hayakawa to hide a ruthlessness under the table, whilst seductive Mireille Balin tugs at the Melodrama heartstrings of Krall as Mireille. Sailing in just after the ban of him appearing in French cinema had been lifted, Erich von Stroheim gives a great,gruff performance as Krall,whose love for Mireille Stroheim has get trapped in a gambling hell. |
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