Les Amants maudits (1952) Directed by Willy Rozier
Crime / Drama / Thriller
aka: The Damned Lovers
Film Review
Les Amants maudits is an overt
pastiche of American film noir circa 1950, and its influences (most
noticeably Joseph H. Lewis's Gun
Crazy) are all too easily spotted. The film is loosely
based on the life of Pierre Loutrel - better known as Pierrot le fou
(the inspiration for a film by Jean-Luc Godard) -
who, between 1941 and 1944, was France's most notorious criminal (in
fact he was the country's first Public Enemy Number One).
Director Willy Rozier is good at imitating what has gone before but he
contributes nothing new to what, by now, had become a hackneyed
genre. Robert Berri is a tough but pretty uncharismatic chief
villain (Scarface without charm) who ends up being eclipsed by Danielle
Roy, darkly sensual as the obligatory femme fatale. Some long and
totally misplaced musical interludes badly interrupt the flow of the
narrative, and the faux documentary framing device adds little if anything.
The film does, however, distinguish itself from many French
thrillers of this era through its gritty realism and occasional bursts
of extreme violence. Alas, like much of Rozier's oeuvre, Les Amants maudits feels second
hand and somewhat undercooked.
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Film Synopsis
Paul leads a humdrum life as a waiter in a café but, being a fan of
hard-boiled thriller novels, he fantasises about becoming a cold-blooded gangster.
One day, his daydreams cross over into reality when he picks up a gun and
shoots dead two unsuspecting customers. A young woman, Jackie, is impressed
by Paul's murderous exploits and decides to tag along with him as he goes
on the run, hotly pursued by the police. By now, Paul feels as if he
is living out one of his fictional adventures for real, and he has never
known such a thrill as he goes around, robbing and pillaging like a real-life
Edward G. Robinson. But the police are closing in on him and it is
only a matter of time before his luck will run out. His first setback
is when Jackie allows herself to be captured by the police. With no
other way out, she agrees to help in bringing about Paul's arrest.
But, just when she is in a position to betray her lover and ensure he is
brought to justice Jackie realises that she cannot go through with it.
Paul's bloody adventure ends as it must - in glorious failure...
Cast: Danièle Roy (Jacky),
Robert Berri (Paul Morelli), Jacques Dynam (Raoul),
Ginette Baudin (Tamara), Denise Cardi (Maryse),
Willy Rozier (Movie director), René Alié, Georges Tourreil, Jean Lara,
Marie-Laurence,
Maurice Bernard,
Marco Villa,
Jacques Valois,
Milly Mathis,
Yves Furet
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 82 min
Aka:The Damned Lovers
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