Encrucijada

Following his hair-raising escape from Germany, Kurt Bernhardt made four films in France of which this is the last. As well as being a landmark in Film Noir it is also an early example of the 'amnesia thriller' and it is little wonder that on his arrival in Hollywoodland he was offered a seven-year contract although his subsequent material was uneven, to say the least.

Its themes of identity and memory are of timeless appeal and here one of France's finest and longest-lived actors Charles Vanel brings an air of melancholy to his role of Vétheuil/Pelletier with the splendid Jules Berry perfectly cast as a blackmailer and Suzy Prim portraying doomed romance in her inimitable fashion.

What strikes one most is the astonishingly atmospheric, chiaoscuro cinematography but of course one would expect nothing less from the legendary Léonce-Henri Burel whilst the same comment would apply to the stunning set designs by Jean d'Eaubonne. The razor-sharp editing, so essential in films of this genre, is by Georges Lantz. It has been argued by some that French Noir of this period exerted a stronger influence on American cinema than did German Expressionism and the influence of Bernhardt's stylish piece is certainly there for all to see.

Hollywood could not resist a glitzy remake in 1942 directed by Jack Conway which alas lacks the requisite 'edge' whilst the British version from 1940 is directed by Thomas Bentley so one need say no more!

Man(Vanel) comes back from WW1 and finds again his wife and kid ; he suffers from amnesia.As he is a wealthy notable,gossips surface.Is he really the man he claims to be?There's a trial but he wins his case thanks to a mysterious person (Berry) who turns to be a blackmailer.

Adapted from a Kafka novel (not THE Kafka),this is an interesting work :Vanel portrays with conviction this bewildered man,in search of his identity.Best scene shows an old lady,chasing him out of her flat,saying he's not her son,then,when the door is closed,bursting into tears.

Kurt Bernardt had begun his career in Germany,as contemporary of Lang and Murnau,but these works are almost impossible to see (he directed Dietrich).Then,after a stint in France,he headed for America where he directed minor movies ,most of them forgotten,including the remake of perennial French tear-jerker "le voile bleu" (as "the blue veil").

Most interesting is the influence of the movie on later works:

-In 1983,Daniel Vigne directed "Le retour de Martin Guerre".During the Middle Ages ,a man comes back to his home.but is he really the one he claims to be?Well you get the picture: a remake in disguise.

-in 1992,"Sommersby" was a remake of "Martin Guerre" (actually the re-remake of "Carrefour").WW1,Middle Ages or American Civil war,it's the same old song.

although this film was made before "the return of martin guerre", the latter is the closer adaptation to the incident that took place in 16th century France. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is the truer of the two stories, because that is not the case. The story was turned into a very good short story by Janet Lewis, titled "the wife of Martin Guerre", which looks at the incident through the eyes of, you guessed it, Mrs Martin Guerre (Bertrande de Rols). There has been a more modern remake, which stars Richard Gere. Sommerby or something of the sort i think.

The precursor to films like "The Return of Martin Guerre", this is a well shot (with lots of film- noir like touches) metaphysical mystery/thriller about a man's search for the truth about who he really is.

Having lost his memory in the war, Roger de Vetheuil is living as a wealthy industrialist with a seeming perfect life. But a blackmailer claims Roger is really Jean Pelletier, a small time gangster, said to have died in the war. De Vetheuil finds himself compelled to dig ever deeper into his own blurred past -- only to find confusing and confounding evidence pointing both directions.

Charles Vanel is excellent in the lead, nicely underplaying in a more subtle style than many screen performances of the time – and unfortunately also more subtle then some of the performances around him. But while the film has it's melodramatic scenes, it ultimately is an absorbing, twisty and intelligent story, almost impossible to get ahead of.