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Port of Shadows (The Criterion Collection)

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Jean (Jean Gabin), a deserting soldier, emerges out the darkness as an approaching truck's lights cut through the night. The truck driver offers Jean a ride which he gladly accepts as he is weary from his long journey away from his dark past in the French military, a past that Jean wants to escape as it brings him pain and anxiousness, which haunts his restless mind. Weariness and dreadful memories brings Jean into a foggy world where he drifts between sleep and awareness while the truck is traveling in the direction of the French port city of Le Havre, which is equally foggy and full of threats.

Hopeful, Jean arrives to Le Havre where he intends to find a new beginning to his life, and where he can discard his past. A port city offers several opportunities for a person such as Jean to embark on new journeys as the port is full of ships leaving each day for new destinations. Through the help of some strangers that Jean meets at a worn down tavern he begins to find a light, which could help guide him back on track to a new life. However, the fog remains as Jean's destiny has different plans for him as his good nature seems to affect the people he meets.

Port of Shadows is a poetic visualization of a realistic story, which Carne gave a magic touch to by using visual signs to enhance the cinematic experience. These signs have a symbolic value for the audience as it offers cerebral participation in the film, which can be pondered for some time. The symbolism of the fog and use of a port city has a profound effect on the films cinematic value as it may causes some cognitive dissonance as both coexist and could be associated with opposite notions. An example of this symbolic antagonism for the fog and the port is the freedom of a port and the barrier of the fog. An analogy can be drawn the antagonism between the fog and the port to Jean's ambiguous character who is good, yet capable of violence.

Port of Shadows is a powerful film based on a novel by Pierre Mac Orlan that does not leave anyone untouched regardless of background or creed. The story depicts elements of human ambiguity, crime, and love, which is elevated with brilliant cinematography and direction. The cinematography uses several close-ups and zoom-outs in order to bring the characters feelings to the audience, which enhances the visual experience of the excellent cast. In the end the audience will have experienced a most brilliant cinematic event.

When I first saw this movie I thought it was one of the saddest and most beautiful films I'd ever seen, which I still think today. The fugitive, the melancholic painter, the abused girl, the ship, and the dog, oh yes, the dog will break your heart and duly so. This was the kind of movie Marcel Carné used to make, sad and beautiful, effortless, peerless, unforgettable. He later made Children of Paradise, which is far more ambitious than Port of Shadows in narrative and production terms and although Children of Paradise is usually considered his greatest film, I'd be hard pressed to tell which of the two is more ravishing. Children is a luxurious opera; Port is a mesmerizing chamber piece.

An example of poetic realism, the French film movement (atmosphere would be more precise) between WWI and WWII, Port of Shadows is heavy on coincidence beginning, arguably, with the truck driver who transports Jean, the Jean Gabin character (and us) into the film. Jean hasn't eaten for two days and is given free food by an innkeeper; he meets a girl and the attraction is mutual; he needs new clothes and a passport so an artist commits suicide and leaves both to him, etc.

All of this would make for a predictable run-of-the-mill thing except for the fact that there is more than coincidence going on here and that the coincidences themselves are in many ways of little concern to the point of the film. Indeed, it seems that the filmmakers used coincidence as a way of dispensing with nettlesome plot necessities in order to focus more intently on what they wanted the film to convey. What it does convey, and quite nicely, is the sense of impending doom, a haunted past (Jean is a deserter who seems to harbor darker secrets in his past), the venality and corruptability of man, love gained and lost, and the futility of daily life when stacked against all of that. Hardly a sunny romp in the woods (somehow the fog seems to linger even in bright sunlight), but an entertaining film nonetheless.

Aside from the coincidences and the atmosphere, another interesting aspect is the way in which the Gabin character exits outside of society. A deserter (and one sense that he joined the army only a way to escape some former social unit), he has left behind that society in search of, not really another one, but perhaps a way to live outside any society at all, at least until he meets the girl. Ill-tempered, abrupt, pugnacious he is an anti-social individual whose wounds and attitudes seem to have been instilled by previous social encounters. He is about escape (and not just to South America on the freighter which is coincidently [there's that word again] departing soon, but only after affording him sufficient time to pursue the girl. His escapes are from the army, from France, from society, ultimaly from himself and, most likely, that past which rendered all escapes necessary in the first place.

He meets his end as a result of his entanglement with the woman (an attempt to re-enter society?) and as a result of a chivalrous act towards her. No femme fatale, she is innocent in the bringing about of his downfall, but brings it about nonetheless. Filled with a fog that could be fate, could be the haze of the past, or could be simply photogenic the film is an enjoyable example of French poetic realism, sort of like an American film noir without the suspense and without the scheming woman but with all of the sense of loss, unfulfilled (or only sporadically realized) desires and dark workings of fate characteristic of that genre. Suspend some of the expectations Hollywood films have created in most of us, spend some time here and you will be rewarded. You can call it a coincidence.

Very much akin to Visconti's Ossessione made a few years later, Le Quai Des Brumes is a typically French noirish portrayal of the underbelly of society, with superb Jean Gabin in the role of a disillusioned Foreign Legion deserter torn apart between fleeing the country for good and defending his romantic interest from a host of seedy underworld characters. Irresistibly fatalistic.

I first became aware of director Marcel Carne when I saw "Children of Paradise". In a review I wrote on here for that movie I said to call it a masterpiece is to understate it's case. The same can be said for "Port of Shadows", easily one of the greatest films I have ever seen.

The movie stars Jean Gabin as a soldier running away from the past. What exactly did he do? I don't know, we get the hint he must be a deserter, but maybe that's just the beginning of his problems. Whatever the case may be it doesn't matter. All that matters is the fact he wants to get away. Jean (that's his character's name) finds himself in a hideout run by a man called Panama (Edouard Delmont) which is near what is known as "the port of shadows". Here is where Jean will get all the help he needs to leave the country. But things are never that easy. For instance he meets a girl, Nelly (Michele Morgan) and gets mixed up with criminals; Zabel (Michel Simon) and Lucien (Pierre Brasseur). And soon Jean fears he may be a suspect in a murder.

Jean Gabin is an absolute natural for a role like this. He practically invented the character in "Pepe le Moko". A character that American actors such as Humphrey Bogart would play in films like "Casablanca". Gabin has those rough edges around his face and a dour look on his face that leads us to believe the guy has been through a lot. This is a complete contrast to the look Michele Morgan has. She is to put bluntly a beauty!

The film was based on a novel written by Pierre Mac Orlan and was adapted by Jacques Prevert (a poet as well as songwriter. If you are familiar with the song "Autumn Leaves" he wrote the lyrics). I've never read the book so I cannot comment on how faithfully this film is adapted, but I can say Carne does a masterful job directing this movie. The film takes us down paths I wasn't expecting to travel. Carne doesn't throw too much in our face. He lets the story flow at it's own pace. And things move along quite quickly. The film is only 90 minutes. But at the same time, nothing feels rushed. We understand these characters, their situations and the fate that awaits them. Having only seen two films from this director I'm ready to call him a master. His films manage to touch me on a deep personal level. He creates characters that seems to live off the page. And just think, this was Carne's third film! He clearly had a natural gift. And luckily people took notice during his lifetime. "Port of Shadows" won the National Board of Review award for "Best Foreign Film".

As for the film's title, at first I wondered how they arrived at it. We don't find out the name of the port until the end of the film but couldn't it have a double meaning? Couldn't the "port of shadows" refer to a place where people go looking to escape the shadows of their past? Or maybe it's just that you can't see a darn thing with all that fog hanging around!

Bottom-line: Marcel Carne's film is one of the greatest I have ever see. Carne handles the story and the characters with a sure touch. The movie takes some unexpected turns and takes what could have been a simple story and transcends it into something much more.

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"Port of Shadows" known in France as "Le quai des brumes" is an excellent film.

The film stars Jean Gabin as a deserting soldier who is trying to start fresh. He hitchhikes into a port town and finds a stray dog who he takes for his own. He later becomes romantically involved with a woman who has some problems of her own. That's all I can say without spoiling the film.

Jean Gabin is probably best known for his role in "Grand Illusion" and does a fine job in this film also. He is perfect for the part, but the only drawback is that I now see him as typecast in military roles.

The other actors in the film do great also and the dog in the film was well trained.

The DVD only has two special features but the liner notes contain much more material than usual. The features are a theatrical trailer and a gallery of production stills and film posters. This is a great film and has a nice story.

After watching Children of Paradise, the 1945 film written by Jacques Prévert and directed by Marcel Carné, I felt that I had seen one of the most beautiful films ever made and was intrigued by what else Carné's filmography had to offer. I decided to follow up that film up with this film, also written by Prévert and based on a novel by Pierre Mac Orlan. Port of Shadows, released in 1938, is the first masterpiece by Carné and is one of the great hidden gems of cinema.

Jean (Jean Gabin) is a military deserter who stumbles into the fog-shrouded town of Le Havre, looking to get out of the country. The foggy landscape is an atmospheric foreshadowing of what will unfold for the characters. Jean, who finds himself accompanied by a small dog (one of the most loyal, loveable canine's I've seen on film), finds shelter in a shack at the edge of the water where he meets 17-year-old Nelly (Michèle Morgan). Nelly comes with her own personal baggage, including a missing boyfriend, a shady godfather named Zabel (Michel Simon), and a local hood named Lucien. Intending to depart the following day on a ship to Venezuela, Jean falls for Nelly despite the obstacles standing in their way.

Port of Shadows is so terrific on nearly every level it's unfathomable to me that someone could not like it. There are people who hold foreign films and/or black & white films in disdain, but even such biased viewers should find something here that appeals to them. Besides being just masterful on a cinematic level, it's actually very entertaining with scenes scattered throughout that range from tense to exciting to comedic to romantic. In one of its many great scenes, Jean confronts Lucien for harassing Nelly and it's one of those scenes that is so masculine it makes you want to cheer.

Jean Gabin has the look of an average guy, but what a talent he was! I haven't seen many of his films, but his performance as Jean is terrific. He's playing a multi-faceted character who is mysterious, tough, romantic, and charming; all qualities which Gabin conveys splendidly. That's not to overlook the great work by Simon or the great character actors that appear throughout the film, nor the elegant performance of the then-18-year-old Morgan; but Gabin is an actor whose work I look forward to seeing more of.

As with Children of Paradise, the dialogue in Port of Shadows is pure poetry and some of the most beautiful dialogue I've heard in film. Carné's most well-known films are grouped into the sub-genre of "poetic realism" and his directing and the brilliant writing by Prévert seems like such a brilliant marriage. Through elegant photography (by Eugen Schüfftan), an ethereal directorial style, and beautiful writing, together Carné and Prévert were able to evoke such poetic beauty through a sublime marriage of images and words. Port of Shadows isn't brought up much in discussions of the greatest films ever made, but from watching it just a single time I believe it may be one of the greatest films I've ever seen with an explosive final scene that is as beautiful and moving as a finale can get. Few films entertain and move me this way and it's one of the few films I wanted to watch again the moment it ended. When I do re-visit this film sometime in the near future, I will re-vise my review accordingly but this is where I stand now. It's an achingly beautiful masterpiece that is nothing short of brilliant.

This brings me to the Criterion release of the film that has recently gone out-of-print. This is one of the more disappointing Criterion releases I've seen due to the varying state of the picture quality. There are times when it looks crisp, pristine, and stunningly beautiful but then there are significant patches of the film that are of VHS quality. I swear one scene had what appeared to be the outline of a film negative beneath the shot. It's certainly not up to par with most Criterion DVD releases. With that said, I am not ungrateful that Criterion released this and I find it to be a great tragedy (and no, I'm not overstating it) that the film has gone out-of-print. I don't own this film and it's lack of availability is tragic for not just myself, but film lovers everywhere. This film deserves a larger audience and those who want to see it will have to save their money and buy an overpriced copy, the same thing that I must do to see it again.

MOVIE: A
CRITERION DVD: B
FACT THAT CRITERION DVD IS OUT OF PRINT: Sucks

Marcel Carné's PORT OF SHADOWS (Le Quai des Brumes) belongs to the list of movies we had to see in school in the seventies. This film is part of the French cultural heritage and was regularly showed by the film clubs of our schools. Some of the greatest actors of that period appear in PORT OF SHADOWS : Jean Gabin, THE unquestionable star of French cinema from the beginning of the 30's until the beginning of the 70's, Michèle Morgan who attained a cult status with this film she shot while she was 17 years old, the Swiss actor Michel Simon (Zabel) who portrayed numerous unforgettable characters during his long career on the screen (1924-1975), Pierre Brasseur who's excellent as Lucien the hoodlum.

Great actors and also great dialogues written by Jacques Prévert, a poet-artist often associated with the Poetic Realism genre of that period. Lines as "Tu as de beaux yeux, tu sais" (You do have beautiful eyes, you know) or "Vite, on est pressé" (Hurry, we don't have much time left) said by Gabin to Morgan are sentences you don't easily forget if you happen to like PORT OF SHADOWS.

A DVD zone your library.

In "Le quai des brumes" ("Port of Shadows") (1939) a black and white film noir crime/ drama/romance/thriller, and another bleak classic of French cinema, the extraordinary French director Marcel Carne (Children of Paradise - Criterion Collection) teams once again with that extraordinary French actor Jean Gabin (Grand Illusion - Criterion Collection) to give us a film you won't soon forget. The script was written by Jacques Prevert, Carne's frequent collaborator, based on a novel by Pierre Mac Orlan.

As the film opens, we see Jean (Gabin), an army deserter, traveling down a desolate, fog-bound, tree lined road to the port city of LeHavre. The protocol of French cinema between the world wars was supposed to be "poetic realism," but, frankly, this magnificent long opening shot looks more like German expressionism to me, as do the shots of "Panama's" shack, where Jean takes refuge, on an empty beach that looks a lot like the end of the world. Jean must leave metropolitan France - that's what he's doing in Le Havre, but at Panama's, he meets the gorgeous 17-year old Nelly, played by the everlastingly beautiful, high cheek-boned, Michele Morgan (Passage to Marseille ). And he finds it very difficult to leave her. Following on the deaths of her parents, Nelly has found herself the ward of Zabel, played by Michel Simon,(Boudu Saved from Drowning - (The Criterion Collection)C), a successful shopkeeper and vendor of souvenirs of the town, who also loves her, and yearns for her charms. Conflict ensues, of course, and Jean finds that no good deed of his goes unpunished, as he unwittingly, unwillingly, becomes front-page news in the town. The acting is fine, the company rounded out by a passel of one-named actors, presumably from the Comedie Francaise.

The photography is marvelously detailed and moody; the original score by Maurice Jaubert adds greatly to the atmosphere of the film, and Nelly is appropriately dressed in a wardrobe by the unaccredited Coco Chanel. Carne, of course, managed to make "Les Enfants" during the World War II German Occupation of France: it hints at many things that would have angered the German censors, had they realized the undertones were there. And Gabin? Of working class birth - born in Montmartre, Paris, he had a particular gift for playing the working class anti-hero, the soft-hearted tough guy. A deservedly enduring film and a must-see.

I first watched this film in an international film class in college. It struck me the first time I saw it, and I had to have it. It's an excellent film, way ahead of it's time. It mixes poetry and realism to the point of perfection. Anyone who appreciates film will love this one.