La taverne du poisson couronné

There's good news: Michel Simon and Jules Berry in the same movie is always cause for celebration ;besides Blanchette Brunoy,generally cast as the nice young girl next door ,finds here an ambiguous part,which makes her look like king Lear's ungrateful daughter .

But there's also bad news ,which may account for the very low IMDb rating of the movie;the screenplay is rather weak and conventional,borrowing from many movies made before the war,from "Quai Des Brumes " to " Mollenard ,Capitaine Corsaire " (the ending of the latter is similar).Plus an interminable free-for-all in the tavern of the title (the crowned fish tavern)during which a murder is committed .

Good movie, fabulous actors, excellent mise en scène. A great director, forgotten today. Remarkable photography, fine tempest sequence over the ocean, witty dialogs.