Boxer drama by Marcel Carne with Jean Gabin and Arletty
You wouldn't necessarily have expected EUROPEAN FILM AWARD winner (h.c.) Marcel Carne to present an athlete drama to his audience. He doesn't reach the level of his masterpieces HAFEN IM NEBEL / HARBOR IN THE FOG and KINDER DES OLYMP / CHILDREN OF OLYMP, but the film is definitely worth seeing.
The ex-boxer Victor Le Garrec (Jean Gabin) runs a small boxing studio in Paris. His wife Blanche (Arletty) begs him to give it up, but Victor still dreams of making a young boxer a champion. A success that eluded him. One day he accidentally meets the young Andre Menard (Roland Lesaffre), who turns out to be a great boxing talent. It's just a shame that Andre has fallen for the enchanting model Corinne (Marie Daems). Despite all the physical attraction, two different worlds collide. This becomes clear when Andre is introduced to Corinne's friend Chantal (Simone Paris) and fashion designer Jean-Marc (Jean Paredes). The young boxer has to decide: true love or a great sports career. Victor has a lot of work to do. The Italian immigrant family Posi (Maria-Pia Casilio, Folco Lulli with Ave Ninchi as their daughter Angela), who run a small shop right next to the boxing studio, provide a little Parisian little people color. Andre's first boxing fight is coming up soon...
For his role, Jean Gabin was awarded the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival in 1954. Unfortunately, the wonderful Arletty remains a bit pale in this film. The master director's main focus is on his favorite actor Roland Lesaffre. No boxer was lost on him, but his well-trained body does stand out. Whether in the shower, in the boxing ring or during a massage: the camera practically celebrates Lesaffre. That's not enough for an impressive story, but with the actors and the director, the result is still an above-average classic.
