''No Exit'', also known as ''Sinners Go to Hell'', is a 1962 American-Argentine dramatic film adaptation of

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...

's play ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (french: Huis clos, links=no, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play begins with three characters who find themselves waiting ...

'' directed by

Tad Danielewski Tad Danielewski (March 29, 1921 – January 6, 1993) was a Polish-born American film director. Early years Born as Tadeusz Zbigniew Danielewski in Radom, Poland, he served in the Polish Underground during World War II but was captured and inter ...

. The film stars Morgan Sterne,

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the d ...

and

Rita Gam Rita Gam (born Rita Eleanore MacKay, April 2, 1927March 22, 2016) was an American film and television actress and documentary filmmaker. She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Background Gam was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughte ...

Plot

The Valet (Manuel Rosón) enters a hotel room with Joseph Garcin (Morgan Sterne) in tow. The windowless room has a single entrance and no mirrors. Two women, Inès Serrano (

) and Estelle Rigault (

), are then led in; afterwards, the Valet leaves and locks the door. Realizing that they are in hell, the trio expects to be tortured; however, no torturer is forthcoming. While waiting, they strike up a conversation and discuss each other's sins, desires, and unpleasant memories; they slowly realize that such probing is the form of torture they are meant to receive. It later becomes apparent that Joseph, once a journalist, was executed for cowardice and the betrayal of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. Estelle, who has a voracious sexual appetite, was a gold digger and seductress who killed a man. Meanwhile, the lesbian Inès abused her partner's love for her and eventually killed them both in a murder-suicide. As the story progresses, Garcin becomes increasingly annoyed by Inès' considering him a coward, while Estelle makes unreciprocated advances on him; Inès is tempted by Estelle, but crazed by Estelle's heterosexuality. The three at first continue to see events happening on Earth, but eventually, as the living move on, they are left with only their own thoughts and the company of the other two. Towards the end of the film, Garcin demands he be let out; in response, the door opens. However, none leave. They resign themselves to their fate.

Production

Sartre did not know about the film while it was in production. Viveca Lindfors, at the time married to screenwriter

George Tabori George Tabori ( György Tábori; 24 May 1914 – 23 July 2007) was a Hungarian writer and theatre director. Life and career Tabori was born in Budapest as György Tábori, a son of Kornél and Elsa Tábori. His father Kornél (Cornelius) was m ...

, was chosen to play Inès.

Style

The film uses dialogue-free flashbacks when the main characters talk about their lives. Alison Darren in the ''Lesbian Film Guide'' notes that Inès is a "typical screen lesbian" of the early 1960s, both physically attractive and inherently evil.

Release and reception

After being screened at the

12th Berlin International Film Festival The 12th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June – 3 July 1962. The Golden Bear was awarded to the British film '' A Kind of Loving'' directed by John Schlesinger. Jury The following people were announced as being on ...

in June 1962, where Rita Gam and Viveca Lindfors shared the

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chos ...

award, ''No Exit'' received its American release on December 5.

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', found the film "antiseptic", with emotionless acting and stagy directing; he summarized that the film "prove that "No Exit" is inappropriate material for a full-length

ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion ...

. Allison Darren calls the film an "excellent psychological drama" with a "surprisingly overt" depiction of lesbianism.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0056282, Sinners Go to Hell 1962 films 1962 drama films English-language Argentine films Films directed by Tad Danielewski American black-and-white films Argentine black-and-white films American films based on plays Argentine films based on plays Remakes of French films American remakes of French films 1960s English-language films