Rendezvous am Fluß (1948)

Rendezvous am Fluß: Directed by Jean Devaivre. With Paul Meurisse, Micheline Francey, Gilbert Gil, Pierre Renoir. Stanislas Oscar Seminario, aka SOS, is a young explorer, just back from Africa, visiting old friends: the Pescara’s. But the father keeps receiving anonymous letters. And soon a mysterious murder is committed. SOS begins to investigate…

“Saw this on late-night French tv, with the notion that if it was programmed, it must be an overlooked gem from the post-war period. But a gem it definitely isnu0026#39;t.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBasically it plays like a 1930s Hollywood b-movie in the madcap mystery vein. But a key positive part of those movies was that they were fast-paced and short. La Dame du0026#39;Onze Heures, though, is way too long, and suffers from many dull moments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA veteran cast performs adequately, but without the gusto that this type of film requires. Most of the players, including top-billed Paul Meurisse, are obviously walking through their roles. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlso on the negative side is the tinny sound, which plagues many French pictures filmed before 1955 or so. And if youu0026#39;re an animal-lover, be warned that halfway through the story, the treatment of a kitten in this film is abominable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMust admit though, that getting nicely-photographed glimpses of post-war France was definitely a pleasure. But in truth, thatu0026#39;s about all this picture has going for it.”