La Nuit est mon royaume (1951)

La Nuit est mon royaume is a French film first released in 1951, directed by Georges Lacombe.  The film stars Jean Gabin, Simone Valère, Gérard Oury, Marcelle Arnold and Robert Arnoux.  It has also been released under the title: The Night Is My Kingdom.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


In a brave attempt to save a colleague, railway mechanic Raymond Pinsard is badly injured in an locomotive accident.  He is rendered blind, but his doctor assures him that an operation can restore his sight.  At first, Raymond has difficulty coming to terms with his disability, and he becomes withdrawn and depressed.  By a clever ruse, his sister manages to get him to enrol in a school for the blind.  Raymond still finds it hard to accept that he is blind, but young blind  teacher Louise opens his eyes to a new world.   Just when Raymond has begun to regain his confidence, he learns that he will never regain his sight.  The news is more than he can bear...

After his career had fallen into near-obscurity in the 1940s, Jean Gabin made a remarkable come back in La Nuit est mon royaume.   This film gave Gabin the opportunity to deliver one of his finest performances.  His portrayal of the blinded railway worker is both convincing and intensely moving.  Gabin is no longer the idealised romantic hero of the 1930s, but an ordinary middle aged manual worker whose life has taken a  turn for the worse.  No wonder that the actor was much in demand after this film, particularly when it earned him the Coupe Volpi for the Best Actor at Venice in 1951.

La Nuit est mon royaume has other strengths besides its lead actor’s contribution and is quite possibly director Georges Lacombe’s best work.  Simone Valère gives a moving performance as the blind school teacher, Gabin’s love interest in the film.  Gérard Oury also stars in the film, a full decade before he embarked on a hugely successful career as a film director.  The script is of a high calibre (thanks to Charles Spaak’s well-crafted dialogue) whilst the atmospheric photography lends the film its intense mood, heightening the tension and moments of poignancy to great effect.

This is a genuinely stirring film which tells its simple tale without sentimentality or excessive melodrama.  However, it is unquestionably Jean Gabin’s participation in the film which gives it its impact and classic status.

© James Travers 2002

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