Le quai des brumes (1938)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writers:

Pierre Dumarchais (novel)
Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

29 October 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

...A Story Which the French Have Put On the Screen With Daring Skill!

Plot:

A military deserter finds love and trouble (and a small dog) in a smoky French port city.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Deserter | Le Havre | Ship | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Jean Gabin	...	Jean
Michel Simon	...	Zabel
Michèle Morgan	...	Nelly
Pierre Brasseur	...	Lucien
Édouard Delmont	...	Panama (as Delmont)
Raymond Aimos	...	Quart Vittel (as Aimos)
Robert Le Vigan	...	Le peintre (as Le Vigan)
René Génin	...	Le docteur (as Genin)
Marcel Pérès	...	Le chauffeur (as Perez)
Jenny Burnay	...	L'amie de Lucien
Roger Legris	...	Le garçon d'hôtel (as Legris)
Martial Rèbe	...	Le client
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Léo Malet	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Marcel Melrac	...	(uncredited)
Raymond Pélissier	...	(uncredited)
Raphaël	...	Un complice (uncredited)
Claude Walter	...	L'orphelin (uncredited)

Directed by
Marcel Carné

Writing credits
Pierre Dumarchais		(novel) (as Pierre Mac Orlan)
Jacques Prévert		(scenario and dialogue)

Produced by
Gregor Rabinovitch	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Maurice Jaubert

Cinematography by
Eugen Schüfftan		(as E. Schufftan)

Film Editing by
René Le Hénaff		(as R. Le Hénaff)

Production Design by
Alexandre Trauner		(as Trauner)

Costume Design by
Coco Chanel		(uncredited)

Production Management
Ludmilla Goulian	....	unit manager (as Mme Goulian)
Simon Schiffrin	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claude Walter	....	assistant director (as Walter)

Art Department
Clément Hurel	....	poster artist

Sound Department
Antoine Archimbaud	....	sound engineer (as Archimbaud)

Camera and Electrical Department
Henri Alekan	....	camera operator (as Alekan)
Marc Fossard	....	camera operator (as Fossard)
Roger Kahan	....	still photographer (as R. Kahan)
Louis Page	....	camera operator (as Page)

Editorial Department
A. Chourat	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Marcel Carné	....	decoupage technique
Marcel Carné	....	story editor

Production Companies

• Ciné-Alliance

Distributors

• Les Films Osso (1938) (France) (theatrical)
• Film Alliance of the United States Inc. (1939) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Janus Films (1995) (worldwide) (video) (????)
• Studio Canal (2001) (France) (theatrical) (special edition)
• Connoisseur Video (1993) (UK) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reelclassicdvd.com (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Neue Filmkunst Walter Kirchner (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Pallas (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Pathé  sound laboratory
• Traonouez (Paris)  costumes (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Port of Shadows (USA)

Runtime:

91 min | Canada:90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (f) (bw)

Filming Locations:

Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France

Company:

Ciné-Alliance

Quotes:

Jean: T'as d'beaux yeux, tu sais.
Nelly: Embrassez-moi.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in C'est arrivé près de chez vous (1992)

Engaging, provoking theatre

Interesting what a contrast this movie makes to Carne's "The Children of Paradise". The two are almost complete opposites where mise-en-scene is concerned, and yet more interesting is that they both show a filmmaker with a craft of form and expression that rises beyond most other filmmakers, including his contemporaries.

"Port of Shadows" is about a French army deserter (Jean Gabin, wonderful as usual) who attempts to flee the nation in order to finally begin a life away from the bad luck that's always held him. He appears at a small port town, immediately falls in love, and sets off a chain of events that show an inherent fatalism with a sense of humor, tragedy, and substance.

This movie has one of those scripts that's very appealing in the way that it sends characters wandering through the mists, and yet somehow everything comes together and ties up all loose ends by the end. Adding to it the moody, brooding cinematography filled with fog and smoke, and one can't help but immerse oneself gladly into a different world. Also, Carne adds a sense of theatricality and the Carnivalesque that even Fellini couldn't compare to.

This is definitely a film that well deserves being called "a classic of French cinema." --PolarisDiB