Un certain Monsieur Jo (1958) Directed by René Jolivet
Crime / Drama / Thriller
Film Review
Un certain Monsieur Jo might
have had some mileage, and even some modicum of charm, if only it did
not look like such a dull pastiche of American film noir. In this respect,
it is similar to Pierre
Foucaud's Mémoires d'un flic
(1956), which also had Michel Simon incongruously cast in a classic
B-movie role, his talents clearly wasted, as was sadly often the case
at this stage in his career. As ever, Simon throws himself into
his part, even if the script doesn't deserve such commitment and does
it best to inhibit his attempts to give a convincing character
portrayal. By far the most memorable scenes are those in which
Simon interacts with the adorable child actor Joëlle Fournier -
these heartwarming moments prefigure the actor's subsequent triumph in
Claude Berri's Le Vieil homme et l'enfant
(1967). Otherwise, Un certain
Monsieur Jo is lacklustre and instantly forgettable, qualities
that it shares with just about every other film that René
Jolivet directed.
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Film Synopsis
Jo Guardini, known to everyone as Monsieur Jo, leads a quiet, honest life
running an inn on an island on the River Marne. Ten years ago, he was
a notorious hoodlum, but those days are now far behind him - or so he thought.
One day, he returns home to find a little girl, Yvette, imprisoned in his
cellar. It is obvious to Jo that the girl has been abducted and must
be returned to her parents as quickly as possible, but when a police inspector,
Loriot, shows up Jo becomes fearful of incriminating himself. Knowing
that their kidnapping plans have gone horribly awry, the girl's abductors
contact Monsieur Jo and order him to kill the girl. Jo refuses to do
this and instead makes up his mind to deal with the kidnappers himself.
In the ensuing exchange of fire Jo is seriously wounded, but one of his boarders,
Simone, comes to his aid. By now the police have turned up in force
and are surrounding the inn...
Cast:Michel Simon (Joseph 'Jo' Guardini),
Geneviève Kervine (Simone Couturier),
Jacques Morel (Inspecteur Loriot),
Raymond Bussières (Louis),
Michel Salina (Commissaire Leclerc),
Jean Degrave (Alfred Léonard),
Joëlle Fournier (Yvette Lemarchand),
Roger Legris (L'aveugle),
Gabrielle Fontan (Mme. Michel),
Gina Manès (Lolo),
Véronique Simon (Mado),
Henri San Juan (Villequin),
Jean Daurand (Le cafetier),
Jack Ary (Charlot),
Christian Brocard (Le boulanger livreur),
Marcel Alba,
Louis Brézé,
Bernard Charlan,
André Dalibert,
Aimé Davis
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 102 min
The best of American cinema
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.
It was American film noir and pulp fiction that kick-started the craze for thrillers in 1950s France and made it one of the most popular and enduring genres.