La Peur (1936)
Directed by Viktor Tourjansky

Film Review

If the Russian-born cineaste Viktor Tourjansky is remembered today it is most likely for his impressive historical dramas, exemplified by Michel Strogoff (1926), Volga en flammes (1934). By contrast, La Peur (also known as Vertige d'un soir) is one of his less spectacular films, a more down-to-earth contemporay melodrama, of the kind that was hugely popular in the 1930s. The screenwriting team that adapted Stefan Zweig's novel included Jean-Pierre Feydeau, son of the great playwright Georges Feydeau, and Joseph Kessel, a successful novelist whose work has frequently been adapted for cinema (Belle de jour, L'Armée des ombres).

It may not have the opulent production values of Tourjansky's period films, but La Peur is still an engaging and well-crafted piece of cinema, directed with flair, moodily photographed and with strong performances from the lead actors Gaby Morlay and Charles Vanel, two of the biggest stars of the period. The film has a striking naturalistic quality that sets it apart from most other melodramas of this time, impressing with its intimate depiction of family life. Morlay was the undispute queen of the French melodrama and she is at her best in this kind of film - harrowingly convincing as a woman desperately trying to hold her life together when a dramatic mid-life crisis threatens to destroy her world.

Film Synopsis

Irène is a happily married middle-aged woman.  She has an adoring husband and young children she dotes on.  In a moment of boredom whilst on holiday, she falls for the charms of a handsome young pianist, Jean.  He, in turn, becomes obsessed with her, and they embark on a whirlwind romance.  Irène soon comes to her senses and, realising what she stands to lose, returns to her family home as if nothing had happened.  Jean tries to see her, insistent that he cannot let her go, but she refuses to continue the relationship.  Then an unknown woman approaches her.  She appears to know something of her affair with Jean.  Fearful, Irène willingly hands over money to her to keep her quiet.  She will resort to anything to keep from her husband the truth of her infidelity...