Port of Shadows (1938)

Load of rubbish!!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Watched Apr 09, 2018Matt Kerr's review published on Letterboxd : Ahead of its time? Check. Laying the foundations for film noir before it was a thing? You betcha. Stuffed to the brim with tragic characters and dark plot elements? Of course!Clunky ending towards the final minutes of the film? *sigh*, I suppose nothing that looks this good on paper is ever so perfect, after all...

Pimpin's father comes home after work to find Pimpin watching a French film.Pimpins father: Pimpin, what are you watching?Pimpin: Its this random pirated film I picked up from my DVD collection. Its a French film. Its a pirated Criterion DVD.Pimpins father: Do you think I should watch it?Pimpin: No. Its damn slow. The dialogs are full of existential crap.Pimpins father: Oh. Who is acting in it?Pimpin: Jean Gabin.Pimpins father: Oh that pasty faced fat guy. Whats so great about him?Pimpin: Beats me. But he was great in Touchez Paz Au Grisbi.Pimpins father: So is it another gangster movie?Pimpin: No exactly. The movie starts off really well. With a drifter/deserting soldier making an appearance in a small town.Pimpins father: Sounds like the plot of one of those crime fiction novels that you read.Pimpin: No. It does have some cheesy gangsters. But it is not a crime film by any stretch of the imagination.Pimpins father: OK.Pimpin: It does have some good dialogs. The ending is a lot like Carlito's Way.Pimpins father: That's one of my favorite films.Pimpin: Yeah.Pimpins father: Do you have any alcohol stocked?Pimpin: Yes, some Shark Tooth vodka.Pimpins father: Then let's open the bottle.Pimpin: OK sure.Pimpins father: You would prefer to drink a bottle of vodka over this film?Pimpin: Yes, definitely.Pimpins father: It does not even have a good heroine?Pimpin: Nope. The heroine was crap. I liked the story. Something good could have been made out of it. But the film was really boring. And the supporting cast was awful. Pimpins father: I see. Lets open the vodka bottle then.Pimpin: Sure.(5.5/10)

Le Quai des Brumes (Port of Shadows, Marcel Carn, France 1938, 91 min.) is a fabulous example of poetic realism. Poetic realism was a cinematic movement that emerged in France during the 1930's. The imagery, the play of shadows and fog, and the story of tragic lovers are all components of this style. The style is very similar to the more well-known style of Film Noir most likely because of the influence poetic realism had on it.Port of Shadows is a story about a man, played by Jean Gabin, who is a military deserter. He finds himself involved with the corrupt lower class of a French town. In the process of trying to obtain a new identity and move to Venezuela, Jean falls in love with the young woman Nelly, played by Michele Morgan. Nelly comes with some baggage though. The only way Jean can be with Nelly is if he deals with a number of corrupt men that are causing problems for her. Unfortunately it leads the lovers to a tragic end.The movie was entertaining but I can't say Poetic Expressionism is my favorite of styles. I do love the scenes near the water and the play of shadows and fog. I also love the extremely cute dog haha. Even though it isn't a personal preference, Marcel Carné definitely achieved the style. Other than having a slightly slow pace, Port of Shadows is an entertaining film with intriguing characters.

I'm a rather big fan of noir. Outside of westerns it is my preferred genre of film. Maybe it's the hardboiled detective stories or the damsel in distress, Port of Shadows is a film that fills my carnal need for the darkness of cinema. The film follows Jean, a deserter from the military who arrives in a sleepy town La Havre. His goal is to leave the country but first he needs to find some civilian clothes among other things. Along the way he meets Nelly, a beautiful young woman whom he seems to fall in love with rather quick. Which is his biggest downfall and sort of a typical theme running through noir films, men who love too much too fast. Nelly is completely surrounded by men in her life. She has a boyfriend, a protector, and has interest from a local gangster. Well Jean has a something to say to all of them and doesn't waste time. Jean gets rid of the boyfriend, he hilariously rids her of the local gangster through a few slapping fights. This is a noir, but don't get me wrong, try not to laugh when Jean slaps Lucien the Gangster like a little girl. They come up with a plan to leave the country together. But of course this is noir, so the likely hood of this film ending happy isn't much of a spoiler. The visual look of the film is really what makes it so memorable. It is a beautiful dreary port town, the fog hovers over the city with weight. The fog hides the sins of Jean and Nelly alike but adds to the mystery. Jean's character is one who is easy to sympathize with but is also quite unique from the norm noir character. He like I mentioned is quick to love. He buys a gift for Nelly shortly after meeting her and wants to be with her enough to leave asking her to escape with him. But he also is quite a tough man ready to defend her a moment's notice. His strange psyche and personality really elevates the movie to something extraordinary.