56, rue Pigalle (1949) - film review

Draftsman Jean Vigneron falls in love with Inès, the wife of a fellow yachting enthusiast, Ricardo de Montalban.   However, he must put an end to the affair when his valet, Lucien Bonnet, begins to blackmail him.  When Bonnet is killed, Vigneron is suspected of his murder and arrested.  To save her lover, Inès must reveal her affair with him, even if it means arousing the wrath of her jealous husband...

This curious blend of film noir thriller and romantic melodrama was an unexpected box office success for its director, the independent and controversial Willy Rozier.  There are sympathetic performances from Jacques Dumesnil and Marie Déa, but the film is weighed down by a plot that feels too hackneyed and contrived for its own good.  The film’s charms include some luxuriously noirish cinematography – presumably inspired by American film noir, very much in vogue at the time – and two heavenly musical numbers sung by Marie-José (Georges Ulmer’s "Pigalle" and "Ce n’est jamais fini").

The film received some poor reviews when it was first released, notably from François Chalais.  Willy Rozier was so incensed that he challenged Chalais to a duel, which the critic foolishly accepted.  Not only did Rozier win the duel (a swordfight which ended when Chalais was wounded on the forearm), but he had the satisfaction of seeing his film become a popular success with the public.

© James Travers 2004

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