Port of Shadows

1938 [FRENCH]

Action / Crime / Drama / Romance / Thriller

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 96% · 26 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 91% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.7/10 10 10472 10.5K

france harbor

Plot summary

Down a foggy, desolate road to the port city of Le Havre travels Jean, an army deserter looking for another chance to make good on life. Fate, however, has a different plan for him, as acts of both revenge and kindness render him front-page news.

Director

Marcel Carné Photo
Marcel Carné

Top cast

Michèle Morgan Photo
Michèle Morgan as Nelly
Jacques Soukoff Photo
Jacques Soukoff as Lucien's henchman
Claude Walter Photo
Claude Walter as L'orphelin
Raymond Aimos Photo
Raymond Aimos as Quart Vittel
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
848.58 MB
986*720
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  fa  
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 3
1.54 GB
1480*1080
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  fa  
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 10

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Polaris_DiB 9 / 10

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
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Reviewed by erwan_ticheler 8 / 10

Very important French "cinéma poétique" classic

SPOILERS!

QUAI DES BRUMES is one of those movies that will always exhale cinema history.Not only is it one of the most famous French movies before the second world war,but it has also got scenes and technique that changed film in general.

Although I must say that it didn't struck me as much as LA GRANDE ILLUSION it still is a great movie.The dialogue is very poetic and full of references,the story is one of heartbreaking quality with a remarkable climax and the acting is first class.Jean Gabin shows why he is probably the greatest French actor ever and Michele Morgan is striking as his love interest.Michel"Saddam Hussain after being captured in his lair"Simon plays her wicked father-tutor.Pierre Brasseur plays the gangsterly type who finally kills Jean in a desperate act of jealousy.Brasseur is the only actor out of place here although he is highly regarded in France.

Several one liners and scenes in QUAI DES BRUMES are undoubtedly important for the cinema as a whole.This film reminded me quite a lot to CASABLANCA.The scenes with Gabin and Morgan at their romantic peak("T'as de beaux yeux tu sais") are very similar to Bogart and Bergman("Here's looking at you,Kid").Curtiz took a good look at QUAI DES BRUMES,I think.

The gloomy surroundings and the constant foggy city of Le Havre is clearly the basis of the later Film Noir.The use of this technique in QUAI DES BRUMES is great.

Like I said,a very important film in cinema history but certainly not the greatest.It misses the greatness of a true classic. 8/10

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