''Bay of Angels'' (french: La baie des anges) is a 1963 French film directed by

Jacques Demy Jacques Demy (; 5 June 1931 – 27 October 1990) was a French director, lyricist, and screenwriter. He appeared at the height of the French New Wave alongside contemporaries like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. Demy's films are celebrat ...

. Starring

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

and

Claude Mann Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etch ...

, it is Demy's second film and deals with the subject of gambling. Costumes by

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (, , ), born Pietro Costante Cardino (2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020), was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometric shap ...

Plot

Jean is a quiet young bank employee in Paris, living with his widowed father. After being taken to a casino by a colleague and winning at roulette, he decides to have a holiday on the south coast. His father warns him that gamblers always lose in the end, but the poison has entered his blood. In the casino at Nice he falls for Jackie, a brittle blonde fond of whisky, who has left husband and child to pursue her compulsion. Though she likes being with Jean, she warns him that she will sacrifice anything to keep on gambling, not for the money she claims but for the thrill. As her remaining belongings are in a suitcase at the railway station, where she plans to sleep, he offers her his hotel room. They drink, talk, and make love. Back in the casino, the two win a fortune with which, having bought a sports car and smart clothes, they take a suite at Monte Carlo and hit the tables there. Losing everything, they take the train back to Nice, where Jean gets his father to send him some money. When this too is lost in the casino, Jean calls it a day and walks off, saying that he is going back to Paris. Hurt at this double rejection, of her and of their gambling partnership, Jackie angrily tells him to go. A moment later she runs after him and the two embrace in the sunset.

Cast

as Jacqueline "Jackie" Demaistre *

as Jean Fournier *

Paul Guers Paul Guers (19 December 1927 – 27 November 2016) was a French film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1955 and 1996. He starred in the 1963 film '' Kali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance''. He was born in Tours, France and died in Montsoreau. ...

as Caron *

Henri Nassiet Henri Nassiet (1895–1977) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Maman Pierre'' (1922) * ''La griffe du hasard'' (1937) - Séverac (uncredited) * ''Life Dances On'' (1937) - Un policier * ''L'innocent'' (1938) - Gregor * ''La Glu'' (193 ...

as Monsieur Fournier * Conchita Parodi as the hotel manager *

André Certes André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French language, French-s ...

as the bank director *

Nicole Chollet Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Eurovi ...

as Marthe

References

External links

*
Village Voice Review

''Bay of Angels: Walking on Sand''
an essay by

Terrence Rafferty Terrence Rafferty is a film critic who wrote regularly for ''The New Yorker'' during the 1990s. His writing has also appeared in ''Slate'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''The Village Voice'', ''The Nation'', and ''The New York Times''. For a number ...

at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

1963 films 1963 drama films French drama films Roulette films Films set in Nice Films directed by Jacques Demy Films scored by Michel Legrand 1960s French-language films 1960s French films {{1960s-France-film-stub