Le jour se lève (1939)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writers:

Jacques Viot (original scenario)
Jacques Prévert (dialogue)

Release Date:

29 July 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Francois, a sympathetic factory worker, kills Valentin with a gun. He locked himself in his furnished...

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Murder | Factory | Marriage Proposal | Singer

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jean Gabin	...	François
Jules Berry	...	M. Valentin
Arletty	...	Clara
Mady Berry	...	La concierge
René Génin	...	Le concierge (as Genin)
Arthur Devère	...	Mr. Gerbois (as Arthur Devere)
René Bergeron	...	Le patron du café (as Bergeron)
Bernard Blier	...	Gaston
Marcel Pérès	...	Paulo (as Peres)
Germaine Lix	...	La chanteuse
Gabrielle Fontan	...	La vieille dame dans l'escalier
Jacques Baumer	...	Le commissaire
Jacqueline Laurent	...	Françoise

Also Known As:

Daybreak (USA)

Runtime:

93 min | Germany:86 min | USA:88 min (Janus print) | Argentina:87 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (bw) | Sweden:15

Company:

Sigma

Quotes:

M. Valentin: You're the type women fall in love with . . . I'm the type that interests them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Silent Trigger (1996)

What is it about French films that makes them so special?

There is something so lyrical about the tale of the doomed François portrayed by the great Jean Gabin that even in its hardest luck moments you feel you are watching poetry in motion.

In addition, Le Jour se Leve is a character study with all the contradictions that tend to go with pained souls like François' - except that there is a further depth that renders the film quite universal, a depth made of little moments in human relationships and the flaws that gently emerge but only renders the humans involved more endearing.

Still, all that glitters is not gold: the apparently pure Françoise has actually been bedded by M. Valentin (Berry); and the police are more interested in getting their man than in saving him.

The direction is precise and inspired, resorting to the then much used flashback technique but never allowing it to dominate the film.

The photography - well, it is gorgeous and it gives the film its expressionistic ambiance. Finally, Gabin - one of the greatest actors ever in one of his greatest roles. Need one say more?

The ending can be predicted from the moment François kills a visitor in his apartment but that aside it is a film full of cinematographic treasures, acting to gape at, and a quality of direction that is seldom seen these days. A must see for anyone who cares about movies.