Boulevard (1960) A French Coming of Age Black Comedy Noir

Directed by Julien Duvivier (Un carnet de bal, Pépé le Moko, Tales of Manhattan, Flesh and Fantasy, Panique, Sous le ciel de Paris, Voici le temps des assassins..., Chair de poule))

Written by René Barjavel and Julien Duvivier and based on the novel by Robert Sabatier. Cinematography by Roger Dormoy, Music by Jean Yatove.

The film stars Jean-Pierre Léaud (The 400 Blows, Masculine Feminine, Alphaville, ) as Georges 'jojo' Castagnier, Monique Brienne as Marietta Benazzi, Pierre Mondy as Dicky, Magali Noël (Rififi, La Dolce Vita, Z, Amarcord, ) as Jenny Dorr.

                                                             Jean-Pierre Léaud as Jojo

Magali Noël as Jenny Dorr

Monique Brienne as Marietta Benazzi

Pierre Mondy as Dicky

With Jacques Duby as Giuseppe Amato, un peintre, Georges Adet as Monsieur Arthur, Jean-Marie Amato as Le clochard, Mag-Avril as La vieille Joséphine, Alain Beach as Himself, Detty Beckers as Une danseuse, Anne Beguet as Marie Castagnier, Jacques Bézard as Himself, Carla Clark as Himself

Story

During a beautifully shot credit sequence of Pigalle, looking down from a high angle, we see it transition from dusk to evening, as the various neon signs flicker on. We get a crooned title song about Pigalle - "the bright neon lights are Pigalle's sunlit nights, to the pigeons on that jolly Boulevard, they call Pigalle" 

This sequence segues into a reverse angle looking at the roof of a tenement with a large neon sign for "Porter 233 Stout Imperial" on its roof. 

We slow zoom to "Jojo." A 15 year old boy the song tells us, who has a crush on a Pigalle stripper. He's on the roof because he's watching for Jenny Dorr to get off her shift and come out of the entrance of the Folies Pigalle. 

Cut back to the reverse angle to zoom into the entrance of the Folies. 

There we see Jenny come out, she says bye to a girlfriend and we follow as she crossed the street and walks across the front of the Club Narcisse, past a "pharmacie" and up to the espresso stand / food counter vendor, next door. She's a regular.

The counter man greets her "Hi Jenny", asks her, "ham sandwich?" She pays 1.75 francs. At the same stand is Dicky, an ex boxer / bouncer. 

Its a cute meet French Style, with a lot of subtext because when Dicky turns around to see Jenny, she is inserting the end of her baguette ham sandwich into her wide open mouth. How Noir of Duvivier?

Subtext

Back up on the roof Jojo stands up and walks along the line of window / skylights that mark the various apartments. He spooks an old lady in one, he peeps in another, and then drops down into his flop. 

Jojo has basically run away from home. He used what money he had for rent and does odd jobs for eating money. He been on the skids lately

He checks dinner. Potatoes in a pot sitting on top of a small cylindrical coal stove. The water is just tepid. he pulls out a potato and takes a bite. He spits it out. He throws both potatoes out the skylight. 

Here is where we find out that Dicky is a boxer. We cut to Place Pigalle and Dicky crossing the boulevard. Both potatoes thrown is succession out the window hit him, and he reacts shadow boxing phantom fighters. 

Back in the tenement. Jojo grabs a water pitcher. These type of flops had a communal faucet for the floor. He walks with it to the end of the hall and the top of the stairway. He peers over the edge of the railing and and waits until he spots Jenny climbing the stair. 

Jojo then races back to his room and waits just inside the doorway until he hears Jenny coming down the hall. he then pops out nonchalantly and meets her. He asks Jenny about her new show, then tells her good night. 

Acting goofy he spins around and the pitcher hits the door of Giuseppe Amato a young artist. Giuseppe  opens the door and sees Jojo. Jojo asks him if he has anything to eat. Giuseppe tells him no sorry, he eats at the soup kitchen. 

Jojo fills his pitcher, and then heads back to his apartment. He stops at Jenny's door and peeps through her keyhole watching her undress. How Noir of him?

Monsieur Arthur, another neighbor comes out to the hall and catches him peeping. He puts his foot on Jojo ass giving him a push. Jojo falls over. Jenny opens her door asking what was that noise, and sees Jojo on the floor. 

The neighbor tells Jenny that he slipped. Jenny bends down comforting Jojo saying "poor little boy." Jojo frowning, gets insulted replying that he may be poor but he's not little. Jenny laughs picking up his pitcher. Hands it out towards Jojo then teasingly pulls it away telling him to smile. He does. She laughs, hands the pitcher to Jojo and does back into her room, leaving Jojo and Monsieur Arthur out in the hall. 

After Jenny shuts the door Monsieur Arthur calls Jojo a voyeur. 

Jojo: She prances around nude in the Folies. Can't her neighbors get a sample?

Jojo follows Monsieur Arthur into his flop and asks him if he has and work for him. Monsieur Authur gives him an address of a printer on the left bank.

 

Jojo watches Monsieur Arthur eating a slice of ham, elaborately folding it into a square, which makes him hungry enough to head down stairs to the Benazzi's who are always good for a handout. 

He knocks on the door, Marietta Benazzi opens it. Marietta is close to Jojo's age. Marietta has a crush on him, and she flirts with Jojo continuously, smiling at Jojo, and pulling up the hem of her skirt, showing off her legs, all the while he is there. 

Jojo kids Mr. Benazzi that Marietta must think she's Gina Lollobrigida. Mrs Benazzi sees what her daughter is doing and scolds her.

Mrs. Benazzi asks if he's hungry she got plenty of fettuccini? She also cuts him a piece of her tart. Jojo of course accepts. While eating at the table, Mr. Benazzi asks Jojo if he's seen his father. Jojo tells him no. He says that he refuses to go home while his father has a floozie living with him. Apparently Jojo and unofficial stepmom don't get along. 

Jojo's Father runs Maison Jean Castagnier a bistro within walking distance of Place Pigalle. We watch Jojo go to the bistro the next day. In the bistro Jojo's father is behind the counter. In front having drink is Dicky. His father greets Jojo when he come in. Jojo asks if his whore is home. His father tells him she never comes down until after noon. 

Jean asks his son if he wants some red? Jojo just grabs a croissant and asks for a juice. He's on his second croissant when he starts talking nonsense about not knowing why he's eating if he isn't hungry. This gets Dicky to make a remark about "the youth of today."

Jojo: What business is it of yours, loser?

Dany: Loser?

Jean: He's just a kid Mr. Dicky. [to Jojo] You know Mr. Dicky, he's a champ.

Jojo: We know about him in Pigalle! Arnavon wiped the floor with him. Arnavon, the bastion of Montpellier. When ever this one's drunk he tells the story and cries! 

Dicky: Me Cry.

Jean: Don't get upset have a drink. Arnavon was a bastard, he caught you off guard.

Jean: Don't get upset have a drink. Arnavon was a bastard, he caught you off guard.

Jojo and Dicky head back to Pigalle. Jojo tells Dicky that he can see all of Paris from his rooftop, and offers to show him his view.

When Jojo and Dicky get to his flop, Dicky sees Jojo's bed and lays down on it, explaining to Jojo that he needs some sleep. 

While Dicky sleeps Jojo goes to the address of the printer he got from Monsieur Arthur. There he grabs some news papers that he peddles to fellow parisonaires and tourists. Eating Money. He also poses at Giuseppe's suggestion for an eccentric gay artist with hilarious results. 

So here is the story's dynamic. Jojo has a crush on Jenny. Marietta has a crush on Jojo. Jojo hates his stepmother. Jojo and Dicky become unlikely friends. It all goes Noirsville for Jojo world when Dicky and Jenny become an item. 

Noirsville

"Pigalle is well known to tourists who want to experience "Paris by night". It is home to some of Paris' most famous cabarets (the Moulin Rouge, for instance, was immortalized by artist Toulouse-Lautrec as well as Hollywood), as well as topless and nude shows." (Wiki)

Duvivier delivers a tongue in cheek, Café au lait Noir, story-wise. Style-wise its a gem, and Roger Dormoy captures a view of Pigalle at the end of the 1950s with basically almost archival footage.  Jean-Pierre Léaud, Monique Brienne, Magali Noël and Pierre Mondy all play off each other well. There's quite a few amusing chuckle inducing sequences, and a boxing match. Entertaining 7/10