Des femmes disparaissent
1959 Crime / Thriller
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Credits
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Summary
In Marseilles, the notorious gang leader Quaglio runs a prostitution ring. His plan
involves luring young woman to his mansion on the outskirts of the town, before drugging
them and smuggling them out of the country to be sold as prostitutes. A young
car mechanic, Pierre, discovers that his fiancée Béatrice is attending one
of Quaglio’s soirées and attempts to rescue her. But Quaglio’s trigger-happy
henchmen prove to be far tougher than he had thought…
Review
It’s hard to believe but Edouard Molinaro, the director of such classic comedies as
La Cage aux folles (1978),
Hibernatus (1969) and
L'Emmerdeur (1973) first cut his teeth
as a director with anodyne crime dramas such as this. Des
femmes disparaissent is a typical French 1950s thriller, an all too obvious imitation
of the American gangster movie, although Molinaro does manage to evoke the essence of
classic film noir very effectively in some sequences. The problem with the film
is that it is too much of a pastiche, with very little substance to it – no real characterisation,
a threadbare plot, and interminable, badly choreographed, fight scenes. On
the plus side, Art Blakey’s marvellous jazz score gives the film a touch of stylish modernity,
an innovation which thriller directors of the time were quick to emulate.
© James Travers 2006 Write a review for this film... |
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