Au-delà des grilles (1949) - film review

Pierre is on the run from the police, having murdered his lover.  He arrives in the Italian port of Genoa where, leaving the safety of his hideaway on a boat, he tries to find a dentist, only to have his money stolen.  He meets Marta, a young woman with a teenage girl, who has separated with her crooked husband.  Having fallen in love with Pierre, Marta hides him from the police and insists that she accompany him on his new life.  Unfortunately fate has other ideas...

Au-delà des grilles was an early international success for René Clément, who had previously distinguished himself in his native France with La Bataille du rail (1946), and who would achieve further success with films such as Jeux interdits (1951), Gervaise (1956) and Plein Soleil (1960).  The film won an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category in 1950, and also won awards for the best director and best lead actress at Cannes in 1949.

Au-delà des grilles is less memorable than many of Clément’s other films, and it is certainly not his best work.  The film appears to combine the poetic realism of the late 1930s with the emerging trend towards neo-realism, which would become more noticeable in Italian cinema in the following decade.   Unfortunately, whilst the film has its strengths (atmospheric cinematography and sterling performances from Jean Gabin and Isa Miranda), it appears overly melodramatic in places (largely as a result of the excessive musical score).  Also, the ending is all too predictable.

© James Travers 2002

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