Film Review
Christian Stengel was a French filmmaker, screenwriter and producer
whose name derives from his father's Danish family. Having
started out in 1937 as an assistant to directors such as Pierre Chenal (
L'Homme de nulle part) and
Christian-Jaque (
Les Pirates du rail),
Stengel became a fully fledged filmmaker in his own right with
Je chante (1938), an easy vehicle
for the iconic singer Charles Trenet. He ended his career in 1957
with
Vacances explosives,
which starred Léonie Bathiat, alias Arletty. The most popular
success in Stengel's generally lacklustre career was
La Famille Duraton (1939), which
starred Noël-Noël and was inspired by a serial on Radio
Luxembourg, at a time when radio was the main form of mass
entertainment.
Towards the end of his career. Christian Stengel adapted a novel by
Pierre Lamblin (
La Concierge n'est
plus dans l'escalier) as the crime drama
Minuit... Quai de Bercy, released
on the 26th April 1953. Stengel's fourth attempt at a thriller
after
Seul dans la nuit
(1945),
Rome express (1950)
and
Pas de pitié pour les
femmes (1951), this film benefits from a more satisfying
screenplay and a well-constructed, admittedly complicated, plot. From
the start, the film's ambiance and strange collection of characters
reminds us of the celebrated H.G. Clouzot classic
L'Assassin habite au 21, except
that here the action takes place at another address, No. 8, avenue
Arthur Rimbaud, in a mythical Montmartre. Whilst
Minuit... Quai de Bercy exhibits
many of the familiar conventions of French thrillers of its era it
stands out from the crowd on account of its ingenious whodunit intrigue
and colourful ensemble of characters.
Despite the impressive credits, only two members of the cast make much
of an impression. First and foremost there is the stunning
Madeleine Robinson, who, through the subtlety of her art, renders her
character (Irène) fascinating. She is the kind of 'Old
Wave' actress who can easily carry a movie on her own shoulders.
Then there is the remarkable American-Austro-Hungarian actor Erich von
Stroheim - his sinister clergyman feels like a close relation of the
character he played so brilliantly in
Les Disparus de Saint-Agil
(1938). When Von Stroheim was asked why he spoke his lines
in French slower than his dialogue in English, he replied: "It keeps me
on the screen longer".
The procession of actors that lend their support to the impeccable
Robinson and chilling Von Stroheim includes the handsome Philippe
Lemaire (a romantic lead male of that period), a young Jean Carmet,
Francis Blanche (later to become a famous stand-up comedian), Mary
Marquet, Rosy Varte and a perfectly cast Louis Seigner. Last but
by no means least there is the almost unknown Belgian theatre and film
actor Georges Randax, who is well-chosen for the leading part of
Inspector Brenot.
Minuit... Quai de Bercy
attracted an audience of 1.7 million in France and was one of those
Saturday night movies where the public could come to laugh or cry,
shiver or be dazzled, and become wrapped up in a story which takes us
back to a world that has long since disappeared - one where a solitary
woman could safely have a midnight rendezvous under the arches of the
Pont de Bercy...
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2013
It's a curious fact that, even though Agatha Christie's crime novels were
popular the world over, only around half a dozen of her celebrated stories
had been adapted for cinema by the early 1950s - the most famous, of course,
being René Clair's
And Then There Were None
(1945). The classic whodunit that Christie had so successfully developed
into a genre in its own right found its way into cinema via imitation plots
that were no doubt inspired by (if not shamelessly lifted from) the Queen
of Crime's murder mysteries. The storyline for
Minuit quai de Bercy
is so Christie-like that it is almost impossible to believe that the creator
of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot did not have a significant hand in its
inception. In fact, the story was taken from the novel
Le Concierge
n'est pas dans l'escalier by Pierre Lamblin, who is best known as the
author of a series of novels and comicbooks for children featuring his famous
fictional hero Jacques Rogy.
In more capable hands,
Minuit quai de Bercy could have been a marvellous
thriller, but with journeyman Christian Stengel directing it with his usual
detachment and disinterest it fails to be much more than a mildly entertaining
pot-boiler. The plodding narrative redeems itself with some spectacular
plot twists in the last two reels, which are only just rendered plausible
through a strong central performance from Madeleine Robinson. Most
of the characters in the story are silly, unconvincing archetypes - especially
Erich von Stroheim's ridiculous fire and brimstone preacher (how tragic that
such a great talent should end his career so ignominiously) - but Robinson's
Irène, a redoubtable sleuth with her own mysterious agenda, is a fascinating
creation: Miss Marple taking a turn as the iconic femme fatale.
Rising star Philippe Lemaire is so intangible (just a diffuse aura of gratuitous
charisma) that he is never a credible suspect. Meanwhile, the slightly
inept casting of Francis Blanche and Jean Carmet (two great comic performers
near the start of their illustrious careers) brings more accidental mirth
than the film knows what to do with. Thankfully, there is a sufficient
quorum of solid character actors - Georges Randax, Louis Seigner, Jean-Jacques
Delbo - to keep things grounded in reality. From his performance here,
Randax appears to have the makings of a great Maigret; only a few years prior
to this, he had received plaudits aplenty for his portrayal of Willy Loman
in a Belgian stage production of Arthur Miller's
Death of a Salesman.
On the premise (familiar to any true Agatha Christie fan) that the least
likely suspect will invariably turn out to be the murderer, it's not too
great a surprise when the identity of the killer is finally revealed.
To do him justice, Stengel takes the sting out of this lapse into predictability
by accompanying it with an abrupt change of style, which sees the film take
an unexpected, and rather stylish film noir slant for its final act.
The unexpected transition is ingeniously eased by a mirror shot that reflects
the killer when his/her true nature is revealed to us. The sudden change
in perspective that this achieves is as dramatic as it is artful. Even
mediocre film directors have their moments of brilliance, and in the suspense-laden,
eerily dreamlike denouement to
Minuit quai de Bercy Stengel shows
just how a good film murder mystery should be wrapped up - with élan,
tension and a fair smattering of Christie-inspired mischief.
© James Travers 2013
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Film Synopsis
When Mado, the attractive young concierge of a block of flats in Montmartre,
is found stabbed to death one evening there is no shortage of murder suspects.
Just about everyone who lived in the building seems to have had a grudge
against her, not least of which the parents of a little girl she was supposed
to be minding at the time the unfortunate child was knocked down by a car.
The flirtatious Mado had men falling at her feet, including a grocer who
was ready to ruin himself for her favours - could his jealous wife have been
the killer? Then there is the eccentric Professor Kieffer, who promises
eternal damnation to those who lead sinful lives - few led more sinful lives
than the loose and lustful Mado. To speed up his investigation, Inspector
Brenot enlists the help of Irène Cazenave, the widow of an eminent
criminologist who has just moved into the fourth floor of the blighted apartment
block.
Irène's researches prove fruitful. In no time at all, she manages
to extort a confession out of Kieffer and then furnishes the police with
another likely suspect - a young Latin teacher named Luc Genevois.
It transpires that Luc had been blackmailed by Mado for some time and was
in her room shortly before she met her death. Unable to reveal why
he was being blackmailed, Luc makes himself another probable suspect.
Only one person knows the real identity of the killer, however. Kieffer's
son Jo, an aspiring musician, witnessed Mado's murder and knows that the
killer must be a woman. Naturally, Irène is delighted when Jo
reveals this fact to her, and to her alone. Realising that Jo's knowledge
may make him the killer's next victim, Irène arranges a secret rendezvous
for him and Bercot - at midnight on the Quai de Bercy....
© James Travers
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