Der Orkan (1941)
38KDer Orkan: Directed by Jean Grémillon. With Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud, Michèle Morgan, Charles Blavette. Andre Laurent, the captain of a tugboat, married Yvonne ten years ago. She has a heart disease but does not want to tell him. She dreams he quits the job for they can live quietly.
“The making of u0026quot;Remorquesu0026quot; began in 1939,as a follow-up to the excellent u0026quot;lu0026#39;étrange Monsieur Victoru0026quot;,and because of the Occupation,was released two years later.That also explains the length of the movie (hardly 80 minutes in the broadcast versions).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s a simple story:the plot involves a tough sailor,Gabin,torn between two women ,the frail Madeleine Renaud,Gremillonu0026#39;s favorite actress (she was featured in all of his four movies of the 1938-1943 period),and the disillusioned Michèle Morgan (with whom he had teamed up in Carnéu0026#39;s famous u0026quot;quai des brumesu0026quot;).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe banal plot matters much less than the atmosphere;the star of the movie is the Ocean:you can hear,feel or see it ceaselessly along the viewing.This ocean which nobody can tame,which breaks willpower.For man must work and woman must weep..u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSPOILERS: The ending climaxes the movie.A distraught incredulous Gabin gazes at his dead wife whilst a lugubrious siren desperately wails there down by the ocean.Then the man,forgetting his plight,walks across the harbor to come to the rescue of the boat in distress:you can hear voices chanting prayers for the dead as he makes his way through darkness .This ending has the strength of an epic Victor Hugo poem.”
