Le dernier tournant

Rootless Fernand Gravey bums a meal off gas station/cafe owner Michel Simon. Simon takes a liking to him and offers him a job handling the pumps at night. Gravey isn't interested until he sees Simon's wife, Corinne Luchaire. Soon they are hot and heavy with each other, and start to think about killing the clueless, disgusting Simon.

It's the first movie version of James M. Cain's THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, and it's far more frank about what's going on and the weakness of Gravey and Luchaire. Simon plays one of his monsters, a man who disgusts his wife, whines, and loves everyone indiscriminately. Charles Spaak's script is capably brought to the screen by Pierre Chenal.

For all those who have cars, please drive carefully and not like the lunatic that is Fernand Gravey (Frank) in this film. He is an unpleasant drifter who arrives at an isolated petrol station and stays on to help with the business on the request of owner Michel Simon (Nick). Simon is lonely and wants a friend to talk to. He has a much younger attractive wife - Corinne Luchaire (Cora) - but that doesn't count for company does it! The only reason Gravey accepts this offer is because of the much younger attractive wife. I think we can see trouble brewing....

The cast are good apart from Gravey who is not good at all in the lead role mainly due to his unpleasant nature. You just cannot relate to him and he doesn't seem to be able to produce any acting nuances that could help build tension. He's just a straightforward arse-hole.

The language in this film is funny as the dialogue is very direct. These people say what they feel - ha ha. My wife particularly enjoyed the lines as spoken by Luchaire when she tells Gravey that she is beginning to like him less and less. I hear this on a regular basis!

We get a body count that seems disproportionately high given the number of characters we are introduced to. The introduction of judge Marcel Vallée and the blackmailing cousin Robert Le Vigan add to the tension as they both have suspicions about the actions of Gravey and Luchaire. The film unfolds as a tragedy and is an enjoyable first run of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'.

The last line of the movie : "Le jour se lève." (=it's daybreak ) ; it is also the title of Marcel Carné's 1939 masterpiece .It won't be lost on a 2020 audience who knows both works.

Both really fit into the black picture of the situation of the country in 1939;both works were blacklisted by the office catholique du cinema ;Carné's work was even forbidden by the military censorship as demoralizing.

Chenal's work has to be upgraded : it was not the first time he had broached film noir (see "La maison du maltais " and "l'alibi") ,but it was the apex of his pre-war years ;five years after being published in the US ,it took a lot of guts to transfer such a filthy story to the screen; its atmosphere surpasses that of Tay Garnett which looks almost "hollywoodian" compared to it : a murky one ;although the action takes place in the south of France ,never some sunlight does break through on this dark gloomy gas station,even after the owner's death ,or should I say mainly after the murder ; the scene when the couple dances a valse musette to the tune of Simon's accordion looks almost like a danse macabre ;it should be a joyful relief , it's painful to watch.

Of course Michel Simon is prodigious ,but Corinne Luchaire also rises to the occasion ; her playing was modern for the time and she easily outclasses glamorous Lana Turner .Her Cora seems unable to react to events ,she had never been happy (she told it so to Frank) and she knew she never would .She seems to be living in a dream (or a nightmare ) in the "accident" scene . Gravey ,on the other hand , is just okay ,and John Garfield would outshine him.

This movie and "La Foire Aux Chimères" (1946) are Chenal's towering achievements ;in both movies , a man (Simon in this one, Von Stroheim in the other one) is victim of a femme fatale (who is also a victim herself ).

Corinne Luchaire's fate was as cruel as Cora's.

Le Dernier Tournant is the first film adaptation of the classic James M. Cain novel. Like all of the adaptations (especially Ossessione) which followed, Le Dernier Tournant probably takes more time to watch, even at ninety minutes, than the Cain novel would to read. The Postman Always Rings Twice is one fast paced novel. It is a slim text that grabs a reader and propels him through in no time. One of the reasons for this is Cain's hardboiled narration. Strangely, none of the adaptations have made much use of Cain's narration.

Despite this, Le Dernier Tournant follows Cain's plot closely. The investigation is altered, but the end result is the same in both novel and film. In addition, all of the actors turn in good performances. Corinne Luchaire has an earthy beauty that is a nice contrast to the more glamorous actresses who have played the role (Lana Turner, Jessica Lange), and she fills out a sweater well. The direction is seldom flashy, but it tells the story economically. There are a handful of well done scenes. Particularly effective are the murder attempts, climaxing with the haunting use of an echo.

Le Dernier Tournant is no forgotten masterpiece, just a solid 1930's melodrama. It's still a far cry from the James M. Cain novel though.

Its not widely known..but "le dernier tournant" has been the First Adaptation of James M Cain Novel 's "Postman always ring twice" and by far the best..Just watch France Greatest Actor Michel Simon play !! the movie came out immediately before Nazis occupied France and the Sensual Corinne Luchaire was sadly thrown in jail after 1944 because of her father's German sympathy...Still it is even better than the Visconti 'Ossessione so you musn't miss this one !