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Le Port du désir
1955 Crime / Drama
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Credits
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Director: Edmond T. Gréville
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Script: Jacques Viot, Edmond T. Gréville
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Photo: Henri Alekan
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Music: Joseph Kosma
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Cast: Jean Gabin (Le capitaine Le Quévic),
Andrée Debar (Martine),
Henri Vidal (Michel),
Edith Georges (Lola),
Leopoldo Francés (René Sarvil),
Gaby Basset (Madame Aimée),
Jean-Roger Caussimon (Black),
Leopoldo Frances (Baba)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 94 min; B&W
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Aka: House on the Waterfront
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Summary
The middle-aged Captain Le Quévic intends to raise a sunken ship at the entrance
to the port of Marseilles, not knowing that it contains the body of a murdered woman.
The shipowner Black intends to sabotage the operation, since it was he who killed the
woman to prevent her from revealing his crooked activities. To that end, he bribes
Le Quévic’s young diver, Michel, to blow up the wreck. When he discovers
the truth, Michel decides to run away with the dead woman’s sister, Martine.
However, the ruthless Black captures Martine, so Michel has no option but to comply with
Black’s orders…
Review
Despite a respectable cast list, this thriller is marred by a weak script. Lacking
mood and dramatic impact, it also feels painfully hackneyed in some places. Jean
Gabin’s part in the film is almost superfluous and indeed is a part that is easily
overlooked in the actor’s long career. The real star of the film is Henri
Vidal, a good looking and very popular actor at the time. The only parts of this
film which are the least bit memorable are the underwater sequences. These were
filmed with support from Louis Malle who, a short while after, would work with Jacques-Yves
Cousteau on the ground-breaking underwater documentary Le
Monde du silence (1956).
© James Travers 2004
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