Cinema
Les Visiteurs du soir
Marcel Carné · 1942
Synopsis
In May 1485, two minstrels, Gilles and Dominique, arrive at the castle of Baron Hugues, where the betrothal of his daughter Anne to the knight Renaud is being prepared. They are in fact emissaries of the Devil, charged with sowing sorrow and suffering and with undoing this marriage. But Gilles falls in love with Anne, and the Devil himself comes to the castle to take the game back in hand.
Context
The film, written by Jacques Prévert and Pierre Laroche, was shot in 1942, under the Occupation, at the Victorine studios in Nice and in the hinterland. The sets are by Georges Wakhévitch and Alexandre Trauner, the music by Maurice Thiriet and Joseph Kosma. Released in Paris on 5 December 1942, it was one of the great successes of cinema under the Occupation. It has been seen as an allegory of the Occupation, a reading that Carné always denied.
Who it is for
A medieval tale of two hours, slow and stylised, carried by Prévert's dialogue; Arletty and Alain Cuny play the two minstrels.
Prizes and reception
Grand Prix of French cinema in 1943; the Criterion Collection restored it and released it on Blu-ray.
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