''Gates of the Night'' (french: Les Portes de la nuit) is a 1946 French film that was directed by

Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include '' Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), '' The Devil's Envoys ...

. It starred

Serge Reggiani Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-French actor and singer. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. After studying acting at the Conservatoire des arts cinématog ...

and

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...

. The script was written by Carné's long-time collaborator

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...

. The film made its debut in the United States four years after its official release in France. It introduced the much-recorded popular song " Autumn Leaves" (French: ''Les feuilles mortes'').

Plot

In the winter of 1945, immediately after the liberation, Jean Diego (Montand), a member of the French underground during World War II, meets Raymond, one of his comrades in arms who was believed to have succumbed in battle. On the night of that meeting, Jean encounters a homeless man named "Destiny" (

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a sma ...

), whose predictions about him finding the woman of his life will not be too far from reality. Jean soon starts a liaison with Malou (

Nathalie Nattier Nathalie Nattier (1925–2010) was a French film actress.Goble p.397 Selected filmography * ''Gates of the Night'' (1946) * '' Patrie'' (1946) * '' Strange Fate'' (1946) * '' Special Mission'' (1946) * ''The Idiot'' (1946) * '' Last Chance Castle ...

), a young woman who is married to a rich man. The next hours of his and Malou's lives are underscored by extreme, dramatic events; however, as the ''clochard'' (homeless person) predicted, they find their way out of the struggle and are able to move on, leaving behind wartime and its dangers. Malou is shot and killed by her husband.

Cast

as Jean Diego *

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, the latter a cousin of Albert Brasseur; his grandfather, Jules Br ...

as Georges *

as Guy *

as Malou *

Saturnin Fabre Saturnin Fabre (4 April 1884 – 4 October 1961) was a French film actor. Selected filmography * ''La rafale'' (1920) - comte de Bréchebel * ''Mademoiselle de La Seiglière'' (1921) * '' The Road Is Fine'' (1930) - Le professeur Pique * '' ...

as Mr. Sénéchal, the father of Malou and Guy *

as "Destiny", the clochard *

Raymond Bussières Raymond Bussières (3 November 1907 – 29 April 1982) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1933 and 1982. He was born in Ivry-la-Bataille and died in Paris. He is buried in Marchenoir. He was married to the ac ...

as Raymond Lécuyer *

Sylvia Bataille Sylvia Bataille (born Sylvia Maklès; 1 November 1908 – 22 December 1993) was a French actress of Romanian-Jewish descent. When she was twenty, she married the writer Georges Bataille with whom she had a daughter, the psychoanalyst Laurence Bata ...

as Claire Lécuyer

Reception

''Les Portes de la nuit'' was released in the United States four years after it was first shown in France, where this psychological urban drama, especially due to its depiction of post-war Paris and close-to-dejected characters did not break the box office. It has been said that this is not Yves Montand's best performance, probably because this was only his second film. Overall, ''Les Portes de la nuit'' has narrative weaknesses regarding the plot; however, its settings are considered to be fascinating. Unlike the more celebrated and popular ''La Bataille du rail'' released that same year, which depicts France as united in noble resistance to German occupation, ''Les Portes de la nuit'' is noteworthy for its honest acknowledgement of French collaboration with the enemy, as embodied by Serge Reggiani's character Guy.

References

External links

* {{Marcel Carné 1946 films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Marcel Carné Films with screenplays by Jacques Prévert Films produced by Raymond Borderie French mystery films 1946 mystery films French black-and-white films Films scored by Joseph Kosma Pathé films 1940s French films