Nuits de feu
1937 Drama
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Credits
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Summary
19th Century Russia. State prosecutor Fedor Andreiev is presiding over the
trial of a man who murdered his wife’s lover. Despite a robust defence from the
brilliant young lawyer Serge Rostoff, the accused man is found guilty and will be deported
to Siberia. Having spoken to the condemned man, Fedor Andreiev sees a disturbing
parallel with his own life. Convinced that his wife is having an affair with Rostoff,
he stages his own suicide and disappears…
Review
This dry historical melodrama is a world apart from the silent masterpieces that earned
Marcel L'Herbier his reputation as one of finest filmmakers of his generation. Lacking
the scale, visual appeal and dramatic impact of L'Herbier’s earlier films, Nuits
de feu is a comparatively low-key work, which would be easy to overlook were it
not for some fine acting performances. Victor Francen and Gaby Morlay bring an emotional
depth and commitment which is clearly lacking in other departments. L'Herbier’s
half-hearted direction and a lacklustre script fail to convey the power and humanity of
the Tolstoi stories on which the storyline is based, although the film is beautifully
shot, in the manner of the French poetic realists, with an oppressive sense of dark foreboding
and cruel irony.
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