''House on the Waterfront'' (French: ''Port du désir'') is a 1955 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Jean Gabin,

Andrée Debar Andrée Debar (5 May 1920 – 24 January 1999) was a French actress and producer of stage and screen.Hayward p.464 She was married to the right-wing French politician and film producer Roger Duchet. Selected filmography * ''Judgement of God' ...

and

Henri Vidal Henri Vidal (26 November 1919 – 10 December 1959) was a French film actor. Film career Henri Lucien Raymond VidalSource Les Gens du cinéma/ref> was first noticed after he won the "Apollo of 1939" contest in Paris. He was spotted by Éd ...

.Block p.49 It was made at the

Billancourt Studios Billancourt Studios was a film studio in Paris which operated between 1922 and 1992. Located in Boulogne-Billancourt, it was one of the leading French studios. It was founded in the silent era by Henri Diamant-Berger. During the Second World War ...

with some location filming in

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

. The film's sets were designed by

Lucien Aguettand Lucien Aguettand (28 January 1901 – 14 February 1989) was a French art directorHayward p.205 who designed the sets for over eighty films during his career. Selected filmography * ''Little Devil May Care'' (1928) * ''All That's Not Worth Love' ...

. Although completed in 1954, it wasn't released until the following year.

Synopsis

Captain Lequévic is ordered to refloat a ship that has sunk in the entrance to the harbor. However its owner, a man mixed up in

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

and other illegal activities, is desperate to prevent him from doing so.

Partial cast

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), ''La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ( ...

as Le commandant Lequévic *

as Martine *

as Michel *

Edith Georges Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

as Lola *

Leopoldo Francés Leopoldo is a given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of the English, German, Dutch, Polish, and Slovene name, Leopold. Notable people with the name include: *Leopoldo de' Medici (1617–1675), Italian cardinal and Governor of Sien ...

as Baba *

René Sarvil René Sarvil (18 January 1901 – 31 March 1975) was a French actor. Sarvil was born in Toulon, France, and died in 1975 in Marseille. Partial filmography * '' In the Land of the Sun'' (1934) * ''Notre-Dame de la Mouise'' (1941) * ''Cyrano de ...

as L'aveugle *

Gaby Basset Gaby Basset (29 March 1902 Varennes-Saint-Sauveur, Saône-et-Loire, France – 7 October 2001 Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France) was a French film actress.Goble p.37 Selected filmography * '' Everybody Wins'' (1930) - Simone * '' The Mal ...

as Madame Aimée * Jacques Dynam as Le Meur *

Gaston Orbal Gaston Orbal (1898–1983) was a French stage and film actor.Lorcey p.244 Selected filmography * '' Dédé'' (1935) * '' Tricoche and Cacolet'' (1938) * '' Tobias Is an Angel'' (1940) * '' A Woman in the Night'' (1943) * ''Dorothy Looks for Love' ...

as Rossignol *

Edmond Ardisson Edmond Ardisson (23 October 1904, in Marseille – 30 November 1983, in Jouarre Jouarre () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Jouarre Abbey It is the site of the Jouarre Abbey, a ...

as Le patron de la boîte *

Mireille Ozy Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name '' Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam' ...

as Gaby *

Annette Maistre Annette may refer to: Film and television * '' Walt Disney Presents: Annette'', 1950s television series * ''Annette'' (film), a 2021 musical film Other * Annette (given name), list of people with the name * Annette Island, Alaska * Tropical Stor ...

as Une entraîneuse *

Yôko Tani was a French-born Japanese actress and nightclub entertainer. Early life Tani was born in Paris. Her birth name was ''Itani Yōko'' (猪谷洋子). She has occasionally been described as 'Eurasian', 'half French', 'half Japanese' and even, in on ...

as Une entraîneuse *

Raymond Blot Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

Robert Berri Robert Berri (16 December 1912 – 22 November 1989) was a French film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1937 and 1979. Selected filmography References External links * 1912 births 1989 deaths French male film actors Male ...

as Frédo, le malfrat *

Antonin Berval Antonin Berval (1891–1966) was a French film actor.Goble p.4 He is sometimes credited simply as Berval. Selected filmography * ''Notre Dame d'amour'' (1923) * ''Arthur'' (1931) - Hubert de Fondragon * ''Le costaud des PTT'' (1931) * ''To the P ...

as Léon *

Jean-Roger Caussimon Jean-Roger Caussimon (24 July 1918 – 19 October 1985) was a "provocative, anarchising" French singer-songwriter and film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1945 and 1985 but is better known for having worked with poet-singer Léo Ferr� ...

as Monsieur Black

References

Bibliography

* Marcelline Block. ''World Film Locations: Marseilles''. Intellect Books, 2013.

External links

* 1955 films French drama films 1955 drama films 1950s French-language films Films directed by Edmond T. Gréville Films set in Marseille Films shot at Billancourt Studios Seafaring films Films scored by Joseph Kosma French black-and-white films 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub