Dortoir des grandes (1953)
Directed by Henri Decoin

Film Review

Henri Decoin shows his mastery of the crime-thriller genre in this entertaining whodunnit, which owes as much to Agatha Christie as it does to the classic Frdnch polar. In contrast to Decoin's more serious thrillers - Entre onze heures et minuit (1949), Razzia sur la Chnouf (1955) - Dortoir des grandes has a distinctly lighter tone to it, a surprising departure for a director who is is seldom seen to look on the bright side of life.

The film is well served by an impeccable cast, which includes some formidable acting talent.  Fans of Jean Marais will not be disappointed by the actor's typically ebullient performance - his embarrassed attempts to fend off his unwelcome entourage of young suitors as he tries to conduct a murder investigation is excruciatingly funny in places.  Marais's charm goes into overdrive in his brief encounters with Jeanne Moreau and Françoise Arnoul, but it is his awkward meetings with the eternally disapproving Denise Grey which provides the greatest entertainment value.  Another comic actor, Louis de Funès (who would come to prominence in the following decade), is no less amusing, particularly as his character keeps turning up unexpectedly.

The comic elements of the film do sometimes work against its darker moments, diluting the suspense and robbing the film of dramatic impact.  As a result, Dortoir des grandes is unlikely ever to rate as a classic, more an entertaining variation on a familiar theme. For more of the same, with Jeanne Moreau in tow, Decoin's Les Intrigantes (1954) is just the ticket.

Film Synopsis

Inspecteur Marco is called in to investigate the murder of a young student in a respectable private girls' school.  The victim was found tied up and strangled in her bed, but the other girls in the same dormitory claim to have seen nor heard anything during the night of the murder.  Something is clearly amiss and Marco's investigation reveals that the young girls are not nearly as angelic as they appear...