Escale

They say it brings bad luck and that's exactly what happens in this obsolete melodrama .

Girl meets naval officer and it's love at first sight.But this girl has a racy past and when her sweetheart sails away,she comes back to her former lover,who does very bad things ,for instance he smuggles alcohol!I do not know whether the "good" love has lasted thirteen days,I haven't counted them ,but "escale" is a terrible melodrama played in an old-fashioned way.One good thing:the funeral at sea,but it's the last sequence,and it's too little too late.

Do not bother to call at it.(French title means:"call")

Before this Escale, I saw the best movie by Gourguet, "Son dernier rôle", which is an intelligent melodrama. The story of a girl from a port falling in love with a marine officer and going back with his ex lover when the officer leaves for a journey. It's kind of old clichéd Melo with nothing new and exaggerating playing. A few scenes are good, like a murder scene. And Colette Darfeuil is much more prettier in other titles, with Gabin for example.

Naval lieutenant Samson Fainsilber rescues good-time girl Colette Darfeuil. The two fall in love, and he has a month's leave, so he takes her to his island home. Then his leave is up, and although he promises to be back as soon as possible, her good intentions last about fifty seconds of screen time.

The story line of Louis Valray's second feature is more coherent than his first one, even though some old-fashioned tropes may offend the modern viewer. Once again, the story is carried along not just by the acting and story, but by the astonishingly fluid camerawork and editing. There's nothing there that will surprise the experienced movie fan, yet I found myself continually taking pleasure in things that seemed obvious.... once they had happened.

Although, as I have remarked elsewhere, the story makes more sense than his earlier feature, Valray certainly loves to punish the wicked, and draws out their dread doom. Still, it's remarkable he was unable to get a contract with a major studio or distributor. Perhaps he tried, but would not give up control.