Marie-Octobre

The plot of Jacques Robert's novel 'Marie-Octobre' of 1948 and Michael McCarthy's film 'The Traitor' from 1957 are too alike to be coincidental but there the similarity ends for when Robert adapted his work for the screen he had the services of one of the greatest directors Julien Duvivier, the superlative dialogue writer Henri Jeanson and a cast comprising some of France's finest.

The subject matter could not fail to strike a chord with Gallic audiences, dealing as it does with treachery and collaborationism during the German occupation. It also works as mystery thriller as suspicion falls upon each of the protagonists in turn until the traitor is finally unmasked. The question then arises as to the method of punishment......

Filmed in three weeks on a single set designed by Georges Wakhévitch and observing the Aristotelian unities of time, place and action, this could easily be filmed theatre but becomes much more thanks to the masterly manner in which the director moves and groups his players and the clever camerawork of Robert Lefebvre. Apparently it was shot in sequence so that none of the actors knew the identity of the culprit and what actors they are! Each possessing an unique persona but delivering ensemble playing of the highest order.

The only negatives are the sudden bursts of music at certain dramatic moments and the truly laughable sub-titling.

The post-war films of Monsieur Duvivier are variable but he remains one of the Big Five of France's Golden Age. He departed this life in 1967 and this finely executed, technically polished piece is arguably his dernier hourra.