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QUAI DES ORFEVRES (JENNY LAMOUR) Send This Review to a Friend
Thanks to the Rialto Pictures release of a new restoration, we can have the pleasure of re-discovering the 1947 French classic, "Quai des Orfévres," originally shown in the U.S. as "Jenny Lamour." Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, it is a tough but entertaining policier that stars the celebrated Louis Jouvet as an inspector trying to solve a murder and the colorful, curvy Suzy Delair as saucy music hall performer Jennie Martineau, trying to get ahead by using her sex appepal. Her accompanist and jealous husband is played by Bernard Blier, the father of director Bertrand Blier.
Anyone with nostalgia for early French cinema should be fascinated by this stunning black and white film, which is loaded with atmosphere of the period soon after World War II, when there were shortages of food and heat but not top talent. The characters are fascinating, and the plot is amusing. The title refers to what one might call the French Scotland Yard, and Antoine (Jouvet), the detective, uses all his skills and cleverness to browbeat suspects and solve the crime when a rich, influential lecher is found murdered. One of the interesting performances is by Simone Renant as Dora, a photographer who is a lesbian with a crush on Jenny.
The story crackles with style and wit, and is one of the best works of Clouzot, especially known for "The Wages of Fear" and "Diabolique." New subtitles added to the restoration help give the film its fresh accessibility. Here's a revival that is particularly worthwhile, and Rialto and the Film Forum, which chose to premier it, deserve applause for providing the treat. A Rialto Pictures release.
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