Film Review
Between 1933 and 1964 Henri Decoin was an underestimated screenwriter
and filmmaker but a happy Pygmalion before the New Wave period.
He usually alternates all kind of movie, from Simenon adaptations to
historic pictures, espionage, crime or psychological dramas. But
his master's skill brings a quality stamp to each of his productions,
with occasional masterpieces such as
La Vérité sur
Bébé Donge (1952). Decoin can be seen as
a director who was attracted to good stories but was less concerned
with pursuing an artistic career.
Pourquoi viens tu si tard?,
released on 6th May 1959, is no exception to this rule. This
drama portrays a lawyer who specialises in cases involving alcoholism
and who tries to hide her own past as someone who was once addicted to
alcohol. This film is the one and only collaboration between
Decoin and the remarkable French icon Michèle Morgan. It
is worth noting that in the same year (1959) the same actress will play
an alcoholic in Robert Hossein's
Les
Scélerats. Here Morgan serves the sentimental and
dramatic plot with her usual brilliance, in a story anchored on a
subject that is still highly relevant.
For the fourth and last time, Michèle Morgan is paired with her
second husband, Henri Vidal, whose talent and good looks rapidly made
him a star of French cinema in the 1950s. through such films as
René Clément's
Les
Maudits (1947) and René Clair's
Porte
des lilas (1957). Vidal died on the 10th December
1959, eight days before the release of his last film,
Voulez vous danser avec moi?,
which starred Brigitte Bardot. In a secondary role is the great
Claude Dauphin, who lends his talent in the part of reporter
René Dargillière. The cast also includes Francis Blanche
and Marc Cassot. Last, but by no means least, the score was
written by Georges Garvarentz and singer Charles Aznavour, and the
dialogue is provided by Michel Audiard. Although all but
forgotten today,
Pourquoi viens-tu
si tard? attracted an audience of 2.1 million and is due to be
released on DVD in January 2013.
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2012
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Next Henri Decoin film:
La Française et l'amour (1960)
Film Synopsis
Catherine Ferrier is a well-known lawyer who specialises in cases
involving alcoholism. One evening, she meets photographer Walter
Hermelin, who has just been involved in a minor car accident. To
repay her for driving him to his destination, Walter agrees to help
Catherine obtain the photographs she needs to defend her ex-lover, the
journalist René Dargillière, who is on trial against a
gang of wine smugglers. Catherine expects this to be a scandalous
case but is surprised when it ends up revealing something of her own
past...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.