Sous le ciel de Paris aka Under the Paris Sky (1951) 24 hours in the City of Lights

Directed by Julien Duvivier (Chair de poule, Pépé le Moko, Un carnet de bal, Panique).  

Written by Julien Duvivier and René Lefèvre, with Henri Jeanson doing the commentary. Cinematography was by Nicolas Hayer ( Le corbeau, Panique, Two Men in Manhattan, Le Doulos ) Music was by Jean Wiener. 

The film stars. 

Brigitte Auber (To Catch a Thief) as Denise Lambert a young woman from Saint-Raphaël a resort town on the Côte d'Azur. Jean Brochard (Les diaboliques) as Jules Hermenault the striking worker. René Blancard (Quai des Orfèvres) as Le professeur Bertelin. Paul Frankeur (Le deuxième souffle) as Milou. Raymond Hermantier (Coup de torchon) as Mathias, l'artiste, Daniel Ivernel as Georges Forestier student intern, Christiane Lénier as Marie-Thérèse the model, Marie-France as La petite Colette Malingret, Marcelle Praince as Madame Balthazar, la voyante (the clairvoyant), Georgette Anys (Les femmes s'en balancent, To Catch a Thief) as Madame Malingret, Sylvie (Crime and Punishment, Thérèse Raquin) as Mademoiselle Perrier the cat lady. 

Brigitte Auber as Denise Lambert

Sylvie as Mademoiselle Perrier the cat lady.

Jean Brochard as Jules Hermenault

Raymond Hermantier as Mathias

Daniel Ivernel as Georges Forestier 

Christiane Lénier as Marie-Thérèse 

Marie-France as La petite Colette Malingret

With Pierre Destailles as Michel, Jacques Clancy as Armand Mestre, Catherine Fonteney as La dame des invalides, René Génin as Le cocher (The coachman), Jane Morlet as La contrôleuse des vieillards, Serge Nadaud as Le bijoutier (The jeweler), Guy Favières as Le malade (The patient). Georgius as Malingret (The green grocer), Robert Favart as Maximilien, André Valmy as Le docteur Lucien Evrard, Maryse Paillet as Madame Milou, Nicolas Vogel as Un gréviste (A striker), Wanny as Mado, la prostituée (the prostitute), Nadine Basile as La stoppeuse, Colette Régis as L'infirmière-chef, Louis Florencie (Children of Paradise) as Le prêtre, Rivers Cadet as Etienne Lambolle "Fatty" the fisherman and friend of Jules, Henri Coutet as Le délégué syndical, and Michel Rob as Pirate, le jeune garçon.

The entire tale takes place over the course of one day.

The Story

We get a gods eye view of Paris at night. A voice over tells us that Paris is sleeping and that Fate, this time described in female terms, has basically prepared an interesting destiny for various citizens during the coming day.  

Daybreak. A black alley cat navigating rooftop ridges and around chimney promontories is silhouetted against a brightening sky. 

We follow him to a 6th floor window ledge while our voice over tells us that he's going to brag about his trashcan nightclub conquests to a large contingent of cats trapped behind a chicken wire screen. The screen is in the window of a room belonging to Mademoiselle Perrier your quintessential "cat lady."

We follow him to a 6th floor window ledge while our voice over tells us that he's going to brag about his trashcan nightclub conquests to a large contingent of cats trapped behind a chicken wire screen. The screen is in the window of a room belonging to Mademoiselle Perrier your quintessential "cat lady."

We cut to a factory where striking workers have staged a strike. We survey the silent machines, the sleeping workers, and then hear the fast clicks of a pawl on a fishing reel. Its the sound of a catch that Jules Hermenault is dreaming about. He stirs awake, finding himself in the factory where the workers have spent the night. 

Jules should be out on the Seine with his fishing buddy from Ménilmontant, Etienne Lambolle. 

We cut to Etienne in the flesh, heading down in elevation steadily, followed by his dog eventually to the Seine. 

Rivers Cadet as Etienne Lambolle 

He's whistling and then later packing and smoking his pipe. He's ready to catch fish, the voice over tells us, but the fish usually see him first. lol

We cut to a sleeping sculptor whose studio is filled with tortured clay faces or his very soul.

Back in Ménilmontant a produce truck is negotiating Rue Mouffetard while the voice over tells us that Malingret the green grocer is back from les Halles with a load of vegetables and fruits. 

Up on the sixth floor Mademoiselle Perrier is talking to her cats. She tells them that if she could just feed them air it would be great. She's explaining to her meowing mob that two liters of milk costs 64 francs ($0.18). 

She explains to her kitties that she doesn't have it, she still has two weeks to go before her pension check arrives. While she is lamenting current events she's putting on her coat shoes and hat to go out and panhandle for the felines. 

At street level she asks Malingret for something for her cats. He tells her all he has is salad. When Mademoiselle Perrier puts the touch on Madame Malingret she reminds her that she is already behind on her rent. So Mademoiselle Perrier heads off down the street.

Back at the factory Jules Hermenault is being kidded that he's going to miss his 25th anniversary party. His son is at the gate and Jules tells him that the strike didn't end as planned and that he'll miss the party. Jules tells his boy that they can give mom her sewing machine anyway. The boy says that it will not be the same. He heads off to inform the family. 

Cut to Etienne the fisherman, wadding down the stone steps to the quay that runs along the Sein. He's going to his favorite spot by Pont Neuf.

We cut back to see Mademoiselle Perrier rooting through a pile of garbage searching for scraps for the cats. She get reprimanded by a city garbage collector telling her that its his job and he chases her off. 

Here we cut to a university where we hear again the fast clicks of a pawl on a fishing reel. Georges Forestier, another catch for FATE, has just received the news that he is up again for the big exam. If he passes it he becomes admitted to the school of medicine. 

He is however, easily distracted when nervous, and has failed the test three times already. This is his last shot. He is an intern at the Hôtel-Dieu. When he arrives at the hospital. the doctor on duty asks him if he can fill in for him tonight.

We cut to a young woman Denise Lambert, arriving at the Gare de Lyon from San-Raphaël, Var. We again hear the fast clicks of a pawl on a fishing reel another catch for FATE. Voice Over tells us that Denise is 20 years old, naive, and full of ideals, but the voice assures us that she'll get over it. 

She takes a horse drawn carriage to the address of her girl friend Marie-Thérèse. Denise has a childhood crush Armand who is living as a billsticker (poster maker) in Paris who wants to marry her but she is infatuated with Maximilien a secret admirer who was one of the guests from the hotel. He has been writing her passionate letters for a year. The only catch is she doesn't remember which guest. since he never introduced himself at the hotel. She imagines him as tall, dark, and handsome.

Here we cut back to Etienne now sitting on the edge of the quay with his line in the water. There's a body of a woman floating down the river. He notices it after his dog starts barking. He calls to a gendarme up at the top of the bank. Our Voice Over tells us that Paris has some strange tourists. lol. 

He calls to a gendarme up at the top of the bank. Our Voice Over tells us that Paris has some strange tourists. lol.

Back on Rue Mouffetard, its a busy morning at the market. Little Collette Malingret is sitting under a countertop goofing off. Her mother pulls her out and scolds her. She also warns here that if she gets bad grades again to not come home. 

"If you get bad grades don't bother coming home"

As she is leaving for school her mother calls her back telling her that on her way back home pick up two liters of milk for Mademoiselle Perrier. Of course, since this is a Noir later when Collette is let out of school with zeros on her report card she heeds her mothers words, she does not go home. Collette goes on an adventure of her own, another thread in our story.

Back at the Seine, where the police are fishing out the woman's body and doing there investigations, we overhear an inspector say that its the third one so far with the same M.O. The women's corpse has a slit throat.

We cut to Mathias the tortured artist. He's surrounded by clay sculptures of women with faces distorted by fear. He's played by Raymond Hermantier who will remind you of a young John Cassavetes, who personally for me, always reminds me of a demented Jerry Lewis. lol

Mathias has got a young girl posing for a bust. He starts on the current project but changes his mind and sends her home. Mathias puts on his coat and heads out of his studio. 

We now cut back to Jules son who rides his bike to the caterer for the anniversary party and explains the dilemma. The caterer, thinks he can remedy the situation. 

From there we jump to the apartment of Marie-Thérèse, Denise Lambert's childhood girlfriend who also happens to be the girlfriend of would be doctor Georges Forestier. 

Denise explains to Marie-Thérèse how she just up and decided to leave home and come to Paris. Marie-Thérèse assumes its Armand  but Denise explains that her main reasons she based her decision on was to look up a young man that she meet at the hotel where she was a window dresser. They have been writing to each other steadily for a year. 

Marie-Thérèse and Denise go out together for lunch and when Marie-Thérèse has to leave to do a fashion shoot, Denise goes to Madame Balthazar a fortune teller to find out her future. 

Madame Balthazar first reads the tarot cards and then her palm telling her that she sees wealth and fame. Denise, now encouraged, asks about her love prospects. For that Madame Balthazar tells her that she must consult the crystal ball.

She instructs Denise to put her hand on the crystal ball. The clairvoyant sees her coming into a lot of money and that she will probably be famous because she sees her face in all the papers. She will be held up as an example. The clairvoyant asks Denise if she has bought a lottery ticket? She instructs her to do so. When Denise asks for more specifics about the one she loves, Madame Balthazar explains to her, that for that, she must have an article from the person. 

Denise tells her that she has some letters and gives Madame Balthazar one of them. The clairvoyant tells her that from his letter the man is obviously sincere and he will most likely be the love of her life. Madame Balthazar asks her if he is an artist? She tells her vaguely that she thinks he's an industrialist. Madame Balthazar warns her on parting to stay away from artists and knives. 

It starts going Noirsville when we cut to Mathias, standing creepily, at a traveling knife sharpener's honing stone set up. A knife is being sharpened. Mathias is admiring the neck of a young woman who is enquiring about the scissors she left for sharpening as the man is peddling the stone wheel and hones Mathias' knife to razor sharpness. 

Fate weaves most of our individual character threads into various vignettes that effect each other in surprising, unexpected, and emotional ways. We also hear again the fast clicks of a pawl at least once more.

Noirsville

Duvivier expertly deliverers an engaging film with a large ensemble cast largely unknown to American audiences that is reminiscent of his Un carnet de bal. This is obviously much more ambitious in scope and gives us a sort of tour guide of 1950 Paris thrown in as a bonus.

I'm no expert on French Film Noir or Duvivier but it so far it seems that  all the films I've reviewed directed by Duvivier have had a song tie in. Here we get the song "Under the Skies of Paris," that crops up in various guises which became a standard leitmotif for the city. 10/10