Les Visiteurs du Soir: Difference between revisions

Les Visiteurs du Soir
Les Visiteurs du Soir
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Marcel Carné
Written by	Pierre Laroche; Jacques Prévert
Produced by	André Paulvé
Starring	Arletty; Jules Berry; Marie Déa; Marcel Herrand; Fernand Ledoux; Alain Cuny
Cinematography	Roger Hubert
Edited by	Henri Rust
Music by	Maurice Thiriet
Distributed by	DisCina
Release date	December 5, 1942;
Running time	118 min.
Country	France
Language	French

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Les Visiteurs du Soir (US: The Devil's Envoys) is a 1942 film by French film director Marcel Carné. The film was released on 5 December 1942 in Paris during the Nazi occupation.

Plot

In May 1485, two of the devil's envoys, Gilles (Alain Cuny) and Dominique (Arletty), arrive at the castle of Baron Hugues (Fernand Ledoux) on the night of a celebration for his daughter's engagement. The Baron's daughter, Anne (Marie Déa), is set to marry Renaud (Marcel Herrand), a warlord who prefers talking about battle more than reciting love poems. Disguised as traveling minstrels, Gilles and Dominique enter the castle and use their powers of enticement to ruin the upcoming nuptials. Gilles seduces the innocent Anne, while both the Baron and Renaud become bewitched with Dominique. But, when Gilles accidentally falls in love with Anne, the Devil (Jules Berry) arrives to ensure that any true happiness is destroyed. When Gilles and Anne are caught together in her room, Gilles is thrown into the dungeon, and Anne and Renaud's engagement is called off.

When the Baron and Renaud realize that they are both in love with Dominique, they duel to the death and Renaud is killed. Following the Devil's orders, Dominique leaves the castle and entices the Baron to follow her in suit. Intrigued by Anne's unusual purity and faith in love, the Devil decides he wants Anne for himself. Making a deal with the Devil, Anne agrees to be with him in return for the Devil releasing Gilles from chains. Once Gilles is free, the Devil strips Gilles of his memory and Gilles walks off leaving Anne with the Devil. But, once Gilles is gone, Anne reveals that she lied and that she could never love the Devil. Returning to the fountain where she and Gilles first pronounced their love, Anne and Gilles reunite and through the power of love, Gilles recovers his memory. Finding the two once again in love, the Devil changes them both into statues, but finds that, even underneath stone, their hearts continue to beat.

Cast

Arletty as Dominique, a minstrel
Alain Cuny as Gilles, a minstrel
Jules Berry as the Devil
Marie Déa as Anne Hugues
Fernand Ledoux as Baron Hugues, Anne's father
Marcel Herrand as Baron Renaud, Anne's fiance
Pierre Labry as the Lord
Jean d'Yd as the playboy
Roger Blin as the monster showman
Gabriel Gabrio as the executioner
Simone Signoret as plain maid made beautiful by Gilles

Production

The film was shot in Nice, in Vichy France, and due to the war, Carné faced a number of difficulties in making the film. Due to the increased censorship during the war, Carné wanted to make a historical and fantastical film that would have little difficulty with the censors.

Reception

The film premiered at Paris’s Madeleine Cinema on 4 December 1942 and was one of the biggest film events during the war. It was called "the grandest film of the Occupation."^[1] One of the reasons that the film was such a huge success was murmuring before the film was released that the film was an allegory for the current situation. Many people saw the character of the Devil as representing Hitler and the continued beating hearts of the lovers as representing France living under German rule, but not giving up hope. Carné maintained until his death that the film was not an intentional allegory for the war and that any relationship was purely unconscious.^[2]

References

^ Turk, Edward Baron (1989). Child of Paradise: Marcel Carne and the Golden Age of French Cinema. Cambridge: Harvard Film Studies. p. 190.
^ Turk, Edward Baron. Child of Paradise. pp. 202–205.

External links

Les Visiteurs du Soir at IMDb
Les Visiteurs du Soir at the TCM Movie Database
Les visiteurs du soir: Love in the Ruins an essay by Michael Atkinson at the Criterion Collection

[1] Turk, Edward Baron (1989). Child of Paradise: Marcel Carne and the Golden Age of French Cinema. Cambridge: Harvard Film Studies. p. 190.

[2] Turk, Edward Baron. Child of Paradise. pp. 202–205.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 | name           = Les Visiteurs du Soir
 | image          = Visiteursdusoir.jpg
-| image_size     =
 | caption        = Theatrical release poster
 | director       = [[Marcel Carné]]
-| producer       = [[André Paulve]]
+| producer       = [[André Paulvé]]
 | writer         = [[Pierre Laroche]]<br/>[[Jacques Prévert]]
 | narrator       =
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 | cinematography = [[Roger Hubert]]
 | editing        = [[Henri Rust]]
-| distributor    =
+| distributor    = DisCina
-| released       = {{Start date|1942|12|5}}
+| released       = {{Film date|1942|12|05}}
 | runtime        = 118 min.
 | country        = France
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 | budget         =
 | gross          =
-| preceded_by    =
-| followed_by    =
 }}
-'''''Les Visiteurs du Soir''''' (US: '''''The Devil's Envoys''''') is a [[1942 in film|1942]] film by French film director [[Marcel Carné]], best remembered for ''[[Children of Paradise|Les Enfants du Paradis]]'' (1945). The film was released on 5 December 1942 in Paris during the [[Nazism|Nazi]] occupation.
+'''''Les Visiteurs du Soir''''' (US: '''''The Devil's Envoys''''') is a 1942 film by French film director [[Marcel Carné]]. The film was released on 5 December 1942 in Paris during the [[Nazism|Nazi]] occupation.
-==Cast==
-*[[Arletty]] as Dominique, a minstrel
-*[[Alain Cuny]] as Gilles, a minstrel
-*[[Jules Berry]] as the Devil
-*[[Marie Déa]] as Anne Hugues
-*[[Fernand Ledoux]] as Baron Hugues, Anne's father
-*[[Marcel Herrand]] as Baron Renaud, Anne's fiance
-*[[Pierre Labry]] as the Lord
-*[[Jean d'Yd]] as the playboy
-*[[Roger Blin]] as the monster showman
-*[[Gabriel Gabrio]] as the executioner
-*[[Simone Signoret]] as plain maid made beautiful by Gilles
 ==Plot==
-In May 1485 two of the devil's envoys, Gilles (Alain Cuny) and Dominique (Arletty), arrive at the castle of Baron Hugues (Fernand Ledoux) on the night of a celebration for his daughter's engagement. The Baron's daughter, Anne (Marie Déa), is set to marry Renaud ([[Marcel Herrand]]), a warlord who prefers talking about battle more than reciting love poems. Disguised as traveling minstrels, Gilles and Dominique enter the castle and use their powers of enticement to ruin the upcoming nuptials. Gilles seduces the innocent Anne, while both the Baron and Renaud become bewitched with Dominique. But, when Gilles accidentally falls in love with Anne, the Devil (Jules Berry) arrives to ensure that any true happiness is destroyed. When Gilles and Anne are caught together in her room, Gilles is thrown into the dungeon, and Anne and Renaud's engagement is called off.
+In May 1485, two of the devil's envoys, Gilles (Alain Cuny) and Dominique (Arletty), arrive at the castle of Baron Hugues (Fernand Ledoux) on the night of a celebration for his daughter's engagement. The Baron's daughter, Anne (Marie Déa), is set to marry Renaud ([[Marcel Herrand]]), a warlord who prefers talking about battle more than reciting love poems. Disguised as traveling minstrels, Gilles and Dominique enter the castle and use their powers of enticement to ruin the upcoming nuptials. Gilles seduces the innocent Anne, while both the Baron and Renaud become bewitched with Dominique. But, when Gilles accidentally falls in love with Anne, the Devil (Jules Berry) arrives to ensure that any true happiness is destroyed. When Gilles and Anne are caught together in her room, Gilles is thrown into the dungeon, and Anne and Renaud's engagement is called off.
 When the Baron and Renaud realize that they are both in love with Dominique, they duel to the death and Renaud is killed. Following the Devil's orders, Dominique leaves the castle and entices the Baron to follow her in suit. Intrigued by Anne's unusual purity and faith in love, the Devil decides he wants Anne for himself. Making a deal with the Devil, Anne agrees to be with him in return for the Devil releasing Gilles from chains. Once Gilles is free, the Devil strips Gilles of his memory and Gilles walks off leaving Anne with the Devil. But, once Gilles is gone, Anne reveals that she lied and that she could never love the Devil. Returning to the fountain where she and Gilles first pronounced their love, Anne and Gilles reunite and through the power of love, Gilles recovers his memory. Finding the two once again in love, the Devil changes them both into statues, but finds that, even underneath stone, their hearts continue to beat.
+==Cast==
+* [[Arletty]] as Dominique, a minstrel
+* [[Alain Cuny]] as Gilles, a minstrel
+* [[Jules Berry]] as the Devil
+* [[Marie Déa]] as Anne Hugues
+* [[Fernand Ledoux]] as Baron Hugues, Anne's father
+* [[Marcel Herrand]] as Baron Renaud, Anne's fiance
+* [[Pierre Labry]] as the Lord
+* [[Jean d'Yd]] as the playboy
+* [[Roger Blin]] as the monster showman
+* [[Gabriel Gabrio]] as the executioner
+* [[Simone Signoret]] as plain maid made beautiful by Gilles
 ==Production==
@@ Line 46: / Line 45: @@
 ==Reception==
-The film premiered at Paris’s Madeleine Cinema on 4 December 1942 and was one of the biggest film events during the war. It was called "the grandest film of the Occupation."<ref>{{cite book|last=Turk|first=Edward Baron|title=Child of Paradise: Marcel Carne and the Golden Age of French Cinema|year=1989|publisher=Harvard Film Studies|location=Cambridge|pages=190}}</ref> One of the reasons that the film was such a huge success was due to murmuring before the film was released that the film was an allegory for the current situation. Many people saw the character of the Devil as representing Hitler and the continued beating hearts of the lovers as representing France living under German rule, but not giving up hope. Carné maintained until his death that the film was not an intentional allegory for the war and that any relationship was purely unconscious.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turk|first=Edward Baron|title=Child of Paradise|pages=202–205}}</ref>
+The film premiered at Paris’s Madeleine Cinema on 4 December 1942 and was one of the biggest film events during the war. It was called "the grandest film of the Occupation."<ref>{{cite book|last=Turk|first=Edward Baron|title=Child of Paradise: Marcel Carne and the Golden Age of French Cinema|year=1989|publisher=Harvard Film Studies|location=Cambridge|pages=190}}</ref> One of the reasons that the film was such a huge success was murmuring before the film was released that the film was an allegory for the current situation. Many people saw the character of the Devil as representing Hitler and the continued beating hearts of the lovers as representing France living under German rule, but not giving up hope. Carné maintained until his death that the film was not an intentional allegory for the war and that any relationship was purely unconscious.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turk|first=Edward Baron|title=Child of Paradise|pages=202–205}}</ref>
 ==References==
+{{Reflist}}
-*{{cite web | author=Jean-Louis Bergami| title=Les visiteurs du soir (Marcel Carné - 1942)| format=http | work=Cinéma: Marcel Carné - Les visiteurs du soir (1942) | url=http://www.chez.com/jbergami/cinema_tv/les_visiteurs_du_soir.htm| accessdate=January 14, 2006}}
-===Citations===
-{{Reflist|2}}
 ==External links==
-*{{IMDb title|id=0035521|title=Les Visiteurs du Soir}}
+* {{IMDb title|0035521}}
+* {{TCMDb title|id=72993}}
-* {{Amg movie|29006|Les Visiteurs du Soir}}
+* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2474-les-visiteurs-du-soir-love-in-the-ruins ''Les visiteurs du soir: Love in the Ruins''] an essay by [[Michael Atkinson (writer)|Michael Atkinson]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]
 {{Marcel Carné}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Visiteurs Du Soir, Les}}
 [[Category:1942 films]]
-[[Category:1940s fantasy films]]
 [[Category:French black-and-white films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Marcel Carné]]
-[[Category:French fantasy films]]
+[[Category:French romantic fantasy films]]
-[[Category:French films]]
+[[Category:1940s romantic fantasy films]]
-[[Category:Romantic fantasy films]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Jacques Prévert]]
-[[Category:Screenplays by Jacques Prévert]]
 [[Category:Films set in the 1480s]]
-[[Category:The Devil in fiction]]
+[[Category:The Devil in film]]
+[[Category:1940s French-language films]]
+[[Category:1940s French films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Maurice Thiriet]]