(Also known as) "You're Poison", "Night Is Not for Sleep" and "Nude in a White Car"
Directed by Actor/Diretor Robert Hossein.
Hossein (acted in Rififi (1955) directed The Wicked Go to Hell (1955) Cemetery Without Crosses (1969) and other films). Written by Robert Hossein (adaptation and dialogue) and Daniel Hortis and based on Frédéric Dard's novel "C'est toi le venin..." Cinematography was by Robert Juillard, Music by André Hossein.
 |
| Robert Hossein as Pierre Menda |
 |
| Odile Versois as Hélène Lecain |
 |
| Marina Vlady as Eva Lecain |
The film stars Robert Hossein as Pierre Menda, Marina Vlady as Eva Lecain, Odile Versois as Hélène Lecain, Héléna Manson as Amélie, Henri Crémieux as Le docteur, Pascal Mazzotti as L'homme de la discothèque, Henri Arius as Titin, Charles Blavette as L'inspecteur de police, Lucien Callamand as Julien, le jardinier.
A Noir Fairy Tale for Adults
A dark crescent of pebbled beach. In the distance hazy coastal ridges. A jazzy opening title sequence (Toi... le venin by Jean Medinger and his Orchestra) ends with the reveal of a man who striding along the waters edge.
The music stops. The man stops. We hear the gentle lapping of the waves along the shore. Pierre Menda. Fired ex TV "Star." Big looser. A casino chump. Blew his wad. Flat busted. He lights a smoke, then walks up to a deserted shore road.
A decadent, white 1950 Cadillac Series 62 convertible drives up. The motor switches off. Brakes squeal. The car rolls up alongside Pierre. A woman. A blonde, what else. Mink coat. She made a wrong turn, asks Pierre for directions. He gives them. She tells him to hop in. He does.
He can't make out her face in the shadows. They drive off into the darkness.
She turns off the pavement and drives to a dead end. She shuts off the car. She slips out of her mink and reveals the pink. Steaming.
Pierre begins to lay her slowly back into position on the huge bench seat. The lady stylishly reaches out and pulls on the on knob of the radio. If your gonna screw me Baby, we do it to music. And in 1958 it's gonna be Jazz. Hot jazz!
They both get off.
Post-coitally, the blonde reaches out. Pushes in the knob on the radio. And shuts off her "theme song." Pierre, expecting to light up a smoke and recharge for round two, is a bit WTF? He pushes in the knob for the tunes. Blondie pulls it back off, and tells him to get out. Punctuating the period after out with a small automatic. Its pointed at Pierre's face.
Pierre has the sense to get the license plate, and so begins what turns into an armature detective story of Pierre trying, on one level to track down "black widow" Blondie of his "Noir-mare." And on another level to get laid again by the dangerous mystery woman, oh la la.
Going to motor vehicles, Pierre gets a the address of Hélène Lecain. Its a seaside villa with the white Caddy parked along the side. Looks like the place.
 |
| Pierre and the Lecain sisters |
Who is the twisted sister?
Noirsville
Pierre devotes himself to figuring out who he was playing hide the sausage with the other night. Of course his obvious target is Hélène. The sisters when finding out Pierre's destitute, invite him to stay and offer him a job.
This whole situation turns into a cats and mouse story as both sisters are attracted enough to Pierre that they ask him to be their guest at the villa. A phycological ménage a tois ratchet's up tension. While at the same time the curious relationship between the sisters is exposed. Hélène resents being almost a slave to Eva, and attempts to make her seem crazy in the eyes of Pierre. Eva plays on her handicap for sympathy and her sexuality arouses curiosity of Pierre who wonders if she is really paralyzed.
The actors pull off their rolls with aplomb. Robert Hossein is excellent, and of course Marina Vlady and Odile Versois are real sisters in life and are quite believable. A very good atmospheric French Film Noir 8/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment