Page 1 of 1

Re: LE JOUR SE LEVE/THE LONG NIGHT

Posted: August 23rd, 2011, 4:54 am
by Ann Harding
Interesting comparison Kingrat. Le Jour se Lève has a gorgeous cinematography. I don't know what TCM showed. But my own French DVD is fine. I have never seen the remake, but I doubt American cinema could make it any better. Prévert's script is haunting and poetic. I guess the subs won't give you any idea of its quality. Also the film has this doomed quality you'll find only in later Films Noir of the 40s. Gabin is so perfect in the part, so are Arletty and the fabulous Jules Berry, that I cannot imagine anybody else in the parts.

Re: LE JOUR SE LEVE/THE LONG NIGHT

Posted: August 23rd, 2011, 6:45 am
by MichiganJ
kingrat wrote:The print TCM showed of LE JOUR SE LEVE looked like the sort of print you might see at a college film society--not bad, but not what the filmmakers intended.
I can't speak to the print aired on TCM, but the Criterion DVD release of the film looks very nice. The image is pictureboxed, which is designed to help eliminate overscan on "standard" TVs, and there is some nominal digital artifacts and wear, which is expected for a film this old, but overall, it looks good.

I've only had the opportunity to watch two of the Gabin films so far, and am very impressed with the picture. Both films, Gueule d'amour and Des gens sans importance (one of the saddest movies I've seen in a while) were closed captioned rather than strictly subtitled.

Re: LE JOUR SE LEVE/THE LONG NIGHT

Posted: August 23rd, 2011, 9:54 am
by Ann Harding
There is a current discussion on Criterion Forum about the print quality of the Gabins on TCM. Several are complaining about cropping and it looks as if TCM didn't use the best quality prints available. At least, these films are being shown, that's something! The 30s were Gabin's best period.

Re: LE JOUR SE LEVE/THE LONG NIGHT

Posted: August 23rd, 2011, 12:48 pm
by Mr. Arkadin
I have the Criterion release and I can definitely state there is a huge difference between the DVD and what TCM showed the other day. I personally prefer the 39 version, but perhaps the most important aspect of this comparison is the fact that we can see the thread running from German Expressionism, to French Crime, to American Noir, which remade so many of these films (toning them down for the Code) and gave American audiences their first taste of a style that was already a decade old.

KR, I enjoyed reading your comparisons. You mention this is one of your favorite Fonda performances. Have you ever checked out Frtiz Lang's They only Live Once (1937)? Once again, noir before Film Noir, with incredible performances from the two leads.

Re: LE JOUR SE LEVE/THE LONG NIGHT

Posted: August 24th, 2011, 8:11 am
by Ann Harding
kingrat wrote:Ann, thanks so much for your recommendations on the Gabin films. Otherwise, I'd have missed GUEULE D'AMOUR and REMORQUES, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Jean Gremillon is a good director.
Really glad, you enjoyed them, Kingrat! :) Jean Grémillon is considered one of the top directors of the 30s and 40s in France, along with Renoir, Duvivier and Carné. So this is not surprising that Gabin worked with all of them.