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Credits
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Summary
Lucien Bourrache is a legionnaire who captivates any woman he meets, earning him the nickname
of Gueule d’Amour. Then one day he meets and is entranced by a beautiful young woman.
At first she appears to reciprocate his feelings but later Lucien fears that she may be
playing him along. Is Madeleine really in love with him or is she just a manipulative
adventurer?
Review
In this remarkable and atmospheric adaptation of André Beucler’s story, Jean Gabin
takes on one of his most poignant and memorable roles, the tragically flawed Gueue d’amour.
Jean Gremillon’s treatment of the story is sober and melancholic, filled with the sense
of gloom and foreboding that was all-pervasive in French cinema at this time.
Because the story involves mainly just three characters, we get to know each of them quite well – or at least we think we do. All three main actors distinguish themselves by holding something back until the film’s tragic denouement – Gabin is particularly surprising, displaying the kind of dramatic intensity we should only expect to see in a more mature actor, such as in his post World War Two film performances. Gabin’s two co-stars, René Lefèvre and Mireille Balin, are no less captivating. Balin is deliciously seductive in this role, which is shrouded in ambiguity. We never really know whether her character is to be trusted or not, whether she really has any affection for Gabin’s character. It is this uncertainty which gives the film its dangerously unpredictable feel and holds our attention so tightly. Gueule d'amour film one of a series of monumental films which Gabin appeared in between 1936 and 1939, including La Grande illusion and Pépé-le-Moko . Many refer to this period as the Golden Age of French cinema, and watching this film you can easily believe that to be the case. © James Travers 2001 Write a review for this film... |
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