ulicknormanowen

Pierre Kast,a former critic of the famous (or notorious ,depending on whom you ask) "cahiers du cinema" ,located his first effort "la morte saison des amours in the Royal Saltworks , "vacances portugaises" in Portugal , " un animal doué de déraison"in Brazil ,and one of his most accessible films "les soleils de l'île de Pâques ".....On Easter Island of course !

Portugal again in "le grain de sable" ;the director uses sometimes the same (desirable )house as in "vacances portugaises" ;do not let the hint at the cold war ,the east and the west fool you; it's some kind of murder mystery in which the characters want to do away with each other ; looks like a cluedo in which the superintendent of course fails and it's the young civil servant with good prospects who plays the part of Sherlock or Hercule.

Kast's directing is sluggish and it's the actors who make the movie palatable: Pierre Brasseur ,one of the best French actors of all time, adds black humor and vivdness with gusto ;Lili Palmer is the distinguished elegant woman who plays her game well ;on the other hand , cerebral actor Laurent Terzieff ,one of the most gifted actors of his generation, seems ill-at-ease in that context , mainly opposite serie B statuesque Sylva Koscina ; It's probably ,though , Kast's most accessible work and it won't get you a headache for once.

The department manager, Biscoton, invited the little saleswoman Marguerite to spend a day at the seaside. She only accepted because her fiancé takes the same train. For his wife, Biscoton invents the death of an aunt and it is in deep mourning and carrying a funeral wreath that he undertakes this journey...

Leo Joannon ,who sank into sanctimoniousness in the fifties , was able ,in the thirties, to come up,now and then with a funny little comedy; this one is quite pleasant and you often laugh heartily ;the stand out is unquestionably Marguerite Moreono ,as the cantankerous missus ,who, not knowing her husband ' s plans , urges him to formally dress and to bring a funeral wraith he won't be able to get rid of .

1936 was the year of the first paid vacations in France and "train de plaisir " reflects the zeitgeist ;although the people only spend one day at the seaside , it's the first step towards the leisure society ;"I 've never seen the sea 'says the young girl in her early twenties .

A hard-working little photographer, Henry Barbier meets Barbara, an "old friend of ten years" to whom he agrees to do a favor, the villainous nature of which he quickly understands. Barbara, who has become the very rich wife of the shipowner Yanakos, has planned, in agreement with her daughter-in-law Odette, a young emancipated woman with a provocative style, to simulate the theft of her own jewels. Henry will participate in the scheme and will receive a large sum. On his guard, Henry has recorded on magnetic tape the detailed account of this scam that Barbara has just set up. Odette therefore hands over the jewels to Henry that very evening...

Jean-Charles Dudrumet made a handful of mediocre thrillers including"la corde raide " dealing with the hackneyed love triangle and secret agent (2 episodes)Stanislas ,one of Jean Marais's poorest parts This one is entertaining if very derivative; the supporting casr including Magali Noel as the femme fatale ,Daniel Ceccadi and Pierre Mondy, is up to scratch ;Felix Martens, essentially a singer whose career was short-lived ,is just OK .

Adapted from Hadley Chase, the lines do not lack humor ,sometimes black ; the scenes by the Seine in the dark night are not bad ; when the hero photographs people on the street ,he comes across celebrities : Dany Saval and Bourvil himself. The charm of the sixties in black and white ,with its pinballs ,its record-players and its EPs.