Pierre Larquey Movies
- 1942
Director Henri-Georges Clouzot's maiden feature-length effort was the intricate mystery thriller The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (L'Assassin habite au 21). Businesslike homicide detective Wens (Pierre Fresnay) goes on the prowl for a methodical mass murderer, who seemingly manages to be everywhere at once. Following a confusing trail of clues to a seedy boarding house, Wens disguises himself as a clergyman in order to gain the confidence of the boarders, hoping that one of them will make "that fatal slip." All of the boarders are eventually taken into custody, only to be released when the murders continue unabated. Wens cracks the case when he figures out that the seemingly contradictory clues are the by-product of a bizarre conspiracy. Filmed in 1942 under wartime conditions, The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was finally released in the U.S. five years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Delair, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
- 1942
Le Voile Bleu is a tear-stained "perservering through the years" drama starring Gaby Morlay. During WW1, Red Cross nurse Louise (Morlay) loses her soldier-husband in battle. Shortly thereafter, her newborn baby dies. Once she's come to terms with her grief, Louise vows to devote her life to caring for other people's children, which she does for the next four decades at great personal sacrifice. The fruits of her selfless efforts are revealed at the climax, when several of Louise's grown-up charges gather to honor their surrogate mother in a glorious "family" reunion. The Blue Veil was remade in Hollywood in 1952, with Jane Wyman in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gaby Morlay, Elvire Popesco, (more)
- 1940
Two Women was adapted by Charles Spaak from L'Empreinte de Dieu, a novel by Maxence Van der Meerck. Terrified of her violent-tempered husband Gomar (Jacques Dumenil), Karelina (Blanchette Brunoy) takes refuge in the home of Wilfrida (Annie Ducaux), her best friend. The one who suffers most from this set-up is Wilfrida's kind-hearted husband Van Bergen (Pierre Blanchard), who falls in love with Karelina. Upon learning that Karelina has been rendered pregnant, Gomar insanely charges into the Van Bergen household and murders the erstwhile good samaritan. Much of the film was lensed on the coast of Holland, a scant few months before the Nazi invasion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Blanchar, Annie Ducaux, (more)
- 1939
The man and his wife in this anecdotal French seriocomedy are Papon and Janette, played by Harry Baur and Suzy Vernon. Bored with her marriage to civil-servant Papon, Janette wanders off to have a brief fling with her casual lover. Upon her return, she finds out that her husband has become quite wealthy. Now he is the desirable one, and she is left out in the cold. The considerable age gap between Harry Baur and Suzy Vernon makes the basic situation in A Man and His Wife all the more amusing -- and poignant. Heavily reliant upon its witty dialogue, the film lost a great deal of its pungency when translated into English. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Baur, Suzy Vernon, (more)
- 1939
Montmartre cabaret singer Vivien Romance is one of several people summoned by telephone to a mysterious rendezvous site by an unknown caller. Among Romance's fellow call-ees are antiques dealer Marcel Dalio, insurance agent Pierre Larquey, semi-retarded butcher boy Marcel Peres, and shady travelling salesman Georges Flamant. Each one arrives at the appointed place, assuming one of the others placed the call. Before long, the gathered strangers realize that a murder has been committed and that they're all prime suspects. Veteran movie-mystery fans will have no trouble figuring out the guilty party, but knowing who did it is not quite the same thing as knowing why. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viviane Romance, Marcel Dalio, (more)
- 1937
A real-life Parisian police detective is credited for the screenplay of Police Mondaine. The story focuses on a manhunt for Salviati, a notorious trafficker in narcotics played by Charles Vanel. The head crook already has plenty of problems on his mind, not least of which are the efforts by two-bit thug Scoppa (Jean-Louis Barrault) to encroach upon Salviati's operation. Calmly biding his time, police inspector Picard (Pierre Larquey) simply gathers clues and waits until the crooks fall out before moving in for the kill. The film's two directors had obviously seen quite a few American crime melodramas; one half-expects James Cagney to pop up and shout "Sacre bleu!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Field, Pierre Larquey, (more)
