La femme du bout du monde (1938)

La femme du bout du monde: Directed by Jean Epstein. With Charles Vanel, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Germaine Rouer, Alexandre Rignault. A criminal ship-owner claims to find radium ore in a lost island in Antarctic Ocean. The ship approaches and the crew find a white woman who lives with her husband with half-insane and his child. She sings Breton songs. All the crew falls in love with her, from where a series of brawls, madness and murders happen. The captain weighs anchor to return peace to his men, however, a young sailor commits suicide of despair.

“The complete version of this film is forever lost.All that remains is a 64 min editing ,the plot of which is obviously difficult enough to follow.It features Jean-Pierre Aumont and Charles Vanel who were also the stars of Litvaku0026#39;s u0026quot;lu0026#39;Equipageu0026quot;(1935).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe first sequence takes place in a desirable mansion where lieutenant Aumont is dancing with his fiancée;he seems a very jealous guy but the girl does not care and it is another man who takes her home.In the present editing it does not matter anyway for the fiancée reappears only at the end of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe lieutenant sails away;the ship-owner is to search radium ore on a lost island in Antarctic ocean.On this island there lives a strange woman with a fascinating look .In her seedy inn,all the crew is spellbound ,as if they were listening to the sirens ,invited in Circeu0026#39;s house.This is shockingly transcendent stuff ,with an extraordinary use of superimposed pictures .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe island,predating those of Robsonu0026#39;s u0026quot;isle of the deadu0026quot; Powellu0026#39;s u0026quot;edge of the worldu0026quot; or Antonioniu0026#39;s u0026quot;lu0026#39;avventurau0026quot; ,remains mysterious ,sometimes wrapped in mist ;some sailors die ,we do not exactly what for.The ore ? Most likely the innkeeper for the whole crew seems to be in love with her.One of the final sequences shows one of the men confessing his crimes but his motives for his behavior remain obscure .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe missing parts of the film make it more disturbing more secret and more fascinating;a far cry from Epsteinu0026#39;s realistic hymn to the sea u0026quot;Finis Terraeu0026quot; ,this one has something of Homer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLast picture: the woman on her island and her child are searching the sea,waiting for another ship..”