THE FRENCH HAD A NAME FOR IT 5

FRENCH FILM NOIR — THE FRENETIC FIFTIES

THU-TUES, NOV 15-20, 2018  ·  ROXIE THEATRE
Presented by Mid-Century Productions

THU, NOV 15
Husbands Beware!

The Adultress

THÉRÈSE RAQUIN
THE ADULTRESS

(1953) 7:00

A Man Walks in the City

UN HOMME MARCHE DANS LA VILLE
A MAN WALKS IN THE CITY

(1950) 9:15

FRI, NOV 16
More Moreau!

Until the Last One

JUSQU'AU DERNIER
UNTIL THE LAST ONE

(1957) 7:15

The She-Wolves

LES LOUVES
THE SHE-WOLVES

(1957) 9:15

At the Little Roxie

Thanatos Palace Hotel

SURSIS POUR UN VIVANT
THANATOS PALACE HOTEL

(1958) 5:00

SAT MATINÉE, NOV 17
Marina Vlady, très jolie

The Show-Off

LE CRANEUR
THE SHOW-OFF

(1955) 1:00

Double Agents

LA NUIT DES ESPIONS
DOUBLE AGENTS

(1959) 2:45

At the Little Roxie

The Beast at Bay

LA BÊTE À L'AFFÛT
THE BEAST AT BAY

(1959) 4:15

SAT EVENING, NOV 17
Henri Vidal, mon ami!

The Strollers

QUAI DE GRENELLE
THE STROLLERS

(1950) 5:45

The Passerby

LA PASSANTE
THE PASSERBY

(1951) 7:30

Gates of Paris

PORTE DE LILAS
GATES OF PARIS

(1957) 9:30

SUN MATINÉE, NOV 18
The perils of coupling!

The Lovers of Verona

LES AMANTS DE VÉRONE
THE LOVERS OF VERONA

(1949) 1:00

Maya

MAYA

(1949) 2:45

At the Little Roxie

Sinners of Paris

RAFLES SUR LA VILLE
SINNERS OF PARIS

(1958) 4:15

SUN EVENING, NOV 18
Dizzying, dynamic Duvivier!

Under the Paris Sky

SOUS LE CIEL DE PARIS
UNDER THE PARIS SKY

(1951) 6:00

Henrietta's Holiday

LA FETE À HENRIETTE
HENRIETTA'S HOLIDAY

(1952) 8:15

MON, NOV 19
Noir reckonings!

Marie X

MARIE-OCTOBRE
MARIE X

(1959) 7:15

No Exit

HUIS-CLOS
NO EXIT

(1954) 9:00

At the Little Roxie

Thanatos Palace Hotel

SURSIS POUR UN VIVANT
THANATOS PALACE HOTEL

(1958) 5:00

TUE, NOV 20
Gabin in the 50s!

House on the Waterfront

PORT DU DESIR
HOUSE ON THE WATERFRONT

(1955) 7:00

The Possessors

LES GRANDES FAMILLES
THE POSSESSORS

(1958) 9:00

At the Little Roxie

The Beast at Bay

LA BÊTE À L'AFFÛT
THE BEAST AT BAY

(1958) 5:00

WED, NOV 21
Special Repeat in the Little Roxie!

Sinners of Paris

RAFLES SUR LA VILLE
SINNERS OF PARIS

(1958) 5:00

WEDNESDAY, NOV 21, 2018SPECIAL REPEAT IN THE LITTLE ROXIE  

SINNERS OF PARIS / RAFLES SUR LA VILLE  5:00

Pierre Chenal was a giant of French noir in the 30s, culminating that decade with the first screen adaptation of James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice, LE DERNIER TOURNANT (1939). Forced to flee from the Nazis, however, he spent most of the next two decades in exile.

His last return ("dernier retour") to France revived his career in a series of tight "B-noirs" filled with the color and action that only a master director can supply. In this ironic tale, an elderly gangster (Charles Vanel) makes a bloody escape from the hospital where he was confined, creating panic and mayhem on both sides of the law. His obsessive love of a showgirl (Juliette Greco) is paralleled by the queasy behavior of one of the cops assigned to track him down (Michel Piccoli), who develops an unhealthy hankering for his partner's wife (Danik Pattison). Chenal handles these tandem plots with panache, reminding us along the way that "boys will be boys" no matter if they're cops or crooks...

(1958, 82min) Directed by Pierre Chenal. Screenplay by Paul Andréota, Jean Ferry and Pierre Chenal from the novel by August LeBreton. Photographed by Marcel Grignon. Music by Michel Legrand. With Charles Vanel, Bella Darvi, Danik Pattison, Michel Piccoli, François Guerin, Marcel Mouloudji, Jean Brochard, Georges Vitray, Albert Rémy, Georges Douking, Marcel Lupovici, Gina Manès.