Le crime de Monsieur Lange aka The Crime Of Mr. Lange (1936) French Ensemble Scewball Noir

Directed by Jean Renoir (La chienne, La nuit du carrefour, Les bas-fonds, La grande illusion, La bête humaine) 

Written by Jacques Prévert and Jean Renoir, and based on a story by Jean Castanier. Cinematography was by Jean Bachelet. Music was by Joseph Kosma, and Jean Wiener.

The film stars René Lefèvre as Amédée Lange, Florelle as Valentine Cardès, Jules Berry as Paul Batala. 

With Marcel Lévesque as The concierge, Odette Talazac as The concierge's wife, Sylvia Bataille as Edith, Nadia Sibirskaïa as Estelle, Henri Guisol as The son Meunier, Maurice Baquet as Charles, the concierges' son, Jacques B. Brunius as Mr. Baigneur,  and Sylvain Itkine as Inspector Juliani, Batala's cousin.

René Lefèvre as Amédée Lange

Florelle as Valentine Cardès

Jules Berry as Paul Batala

Story

The Cafe-Hotel de la Frontiere. It's an old travelers inn along the coast road near the Belgium border. It's 1700s looking, of whitewashed stone, windows and shutters with dormer windows in the roof.

Inside the common room, around the small counter the regulars are socializing. A gendarme is displaying a sort of wanted poster for Amédée Lange. He is wanted in connection with the murder of Paul Batala. The authorities obviously figure he'll make a break for the border. 

We cut to a 1931 Bugatti Type 50 Million-Guiet straight eight, racing down a highway. It's pedal to the metal. It will remind you of the Mexican road race sequences in Mitchum's The Big Steal.

This particular Bugatti could reach a top speed of around 105 miles per hour  This model was known for its impressive performance, with a zero-to-sixty time of about eight seconds.

The POV shots through the windshield going down the road was probably pretty impressive to an audience in the late 30s. We cut back and forth from location road shots to the POV until the Bugatti snakes into a road by the inn.

The POV shots through the windshield going down the road was probably pretty impressive to an audience in the late 30s. We cut back and forth from location road shots to the POV until the Bugatti snakes into a road by the inn.

The Bugatti hits the brakes. A man Amédée Lange and woman Valentine Cardès get out. Meunier, the driver tells the couple that Belgium is just across the dunes. They thank the driver, he tells them that he was glad to do it. He drives off and they walk into the old inn. 

1931 Bugatti Type 50 Million-Guiet

Henri Guisol as The son Meunier

Inside they ask for rooms. They've been driving all night. They are shown to a room they have available.

Amédée lays down and is immediately asleep.

The son of the innkeeper announces that the man is Amédée Lange, and he wants to call the police. The rest of the patrons tell him no, raising various reasons not to.

Soon Valentine leaving the sleeping Amédée, comes out into the common room and she begins to tell the patrons the story of what happened to get them here. She tells them that she's been in love with other men before. But she is in love with Amédée now. 

She explains that it all started in Paris. She owns a laundry with four girls, she tells them she knows how hard it is working for a living.

She goes on to say that she first met Amédée in the dusty apartment house where they both lived, and they got to know each other. she describes Amédée  as a dreamer, a writer who stayed up late at nights using an old pen, and we start a flashback.

Flashback. 

We see Amédée sitting in his apartment with his trusty dog, writing and acting out, his Western stories about his character Arizona Jim. He aspires to be a paperback / magazine writer. 

As he reads aloud his story he pretends he's galloping across the frontier of the Sonoran desert. We pan his walls. On one hangs holsters with six-shooters and cowboy hats, he's got Native American headdresses, rifles.

On another hangs a pair of chaps, another has a map of the US & Mexico with a big bold line drawn around the territory that Arizona Jim roams.

We cut to the outside of a immeubles de rapport, a mixed use building, sort of combo of ground floor businesses with apartments and office space above. This one has a laundry and a publishing company printing press business office occupying the ground floors with loft space above on one side of an open courtyard for the offices of various editors, advertizing, printsetters, art department etc., etc.

We see the concierge (aka janitor) open the big doors of the main entrance. He stops in the courtyard to hear his son Charles complain about billboard that blocks his bedroom window, and then when entering the apartment entrance gets the news that he's got to unblock a toilet from his wife. 

Maurice Baquet as Charles, the concierges' son, lt. , and Marcel Lévesque as The concierge rt.

He grabs a bucket and starts to climb the stairs and is passed by Valentine carrying a pile of clothes. She opens Amédée's door and walks right in.  Amédée  is tying his shoes Valentine is bring him his laundry. She opens his armoire and puts his clothes away, they are good friends. 

She asks him if he got any sleep, he tells her two or three hours. He jokes that he was sleep-writing. Valentine asks him why he has no women in his stories? Doesn't he like women? He tells her the story is in Arizona. 

Valentine asks well, what about here, if a woman kissed you you would think it was a dream. She tells he he should talk to Batala about his stories, adding that Batala publishes any kind of rubbish...

L'amoure

Amédée is somewhat insulted, but is appeased  a bit when Valentine explains its all rubbish except the love stories that she likes. Love, and at her last "amour" as Valentine leaves and we cut to two young lovers Estelle and Charles, they are kissing and its implied at the get go that they are intimate but Estelle doesn't want to commit to anything. Vive La France, no Legion of Decency and MPPC bullshit. Freedom to tell a story without censorship. 

This is a French Screwball Noir, almost every character we meet, we are going to meet again and again. The story revolves around Amédée and Valentine with a lot of surprises and lot of twists. 

Estelle and Charles the concierge's son, are outside of the entrance of Batala's publishing house. Estelle is grabbed by another woman a fellow employee, and taken away to the laundry.  

Its the beginning of the work day. Amédée greets his fellow workers. One of them is complaining that he hasn't gotten paid for a week. Just as Amédée starts climbing the stair Estelle pops up again and Amédée is asking her for a date to go for a walk in the forest. Estelle is agreeable but she is once again whisked away from the scene by her coworker.  But Amédée is already distracted by the legs of another female employee who is giving him a show. He then immediately gets reprimanded by Valentine who appears in the lobby. 

At this point were are gearing up into full screwball repartee, all the while being also introduced to new characters.

Next Amédée runs into a representative of Meunier senior who is looking for Mr. Batala. Before he can answer Batala himself arrives, and Amédée points him out. 

So we cut to the representative of Meunier accusing Batala of swindling 300,000₣ from Meunier. The money was supposed to be for new printing presses for the new magazine Javert, Batala is planning on publishing. Signs are pointing to Batala being short on money. He offers the representative 7,000₣ to give him some time. He takes it telling Batala that old man Meunier is sick anyway.

When Batala gets up to the office he meets Amédée his advertising editor who shows him the ads he's  sold. One goes "Old man seeks blonde to read to him at night." Batala laughs, declares "Odd World" looks at some of the others, and then sees and reads some of Amédée's Arizona Jim story. 

Batala next stops at the cover artist. He looks at what he's working on for the Javert cover and tells him that its needs more blood. 

When Batala gets to his office he's intercepted by his secretary who tells him she had to sleep alone last night. Enter Valentine with Batala's office linens. Valentine has also slept with Batala and the two women trade insults. 

Sylvia Bataille as Edith

Next to arrive is the Ranimax pharmaceutical rep. He complains to Batala that he has not seen any of the advertisements that he's paid for. 

Batala tells him there has been unforeseen delays but getting a brainstorm calls Amédée into the office and introduces him to the rep. Then Batala tells him to wait outside. 

Once Amédée is out of earshot Batala tells the rep that Amédée is a genius and is the creator of Arizona Jim which he confides to the rep is gonna be big another Les Misérables. He tells him he has the exclusive rights. lol. 

As soon as the Ranimex guy leaves Batala calls Amédée back into the office telling him he has big news for him.

Batala tells him he's going to publish Arizona Jim. He asks Amédée if he has some manuscripts ready. Amédée replies that he does and Batala says good we'll start with a piece once a week. 

Batala brings out a contract and signs it tells Amédée that they'll set it up with Louis. Batala gives him a pen to sign it with. Amédée starts to read the contract, Batala tells him to sign it's just silly paperwork. Amédée signs.

Arizona Jim gets published. Amédée is happy and brings some copies to Valentine and Charles who laid up after being in an accident with his bicycle caught between two trucks. We also get a sequence with Estelle and Amédée on a date. Everybody is in love with Estelle. Estelle is sort of a free spirit, she flirts  with everybody and dates them all. 

Nadia Sibirskaïa as Estelle

They are out in a park sitting on a bench. He's telling her she looks the Mexican type, she replies she's from Limoges but she's always lived in Paris. She asks Amédée when was he in Arizona, he tells her never, but he grew up with horses on a farm and he reads a lot about it and he just imagines his tales.

Estelle tells Amédée she knows what this date is about (sex) and tells Amédée that she hasn't been a virgin since an old man, a very influential old man stopped her on a stair when she was just a young girl. She had to even confess that it was her fault, she seduced him, got a good beating for it, then her family moved away. 

At this point we've been getting clues from the reactions of others, that Estelle has not been herself lately. Earlier by Valentine when Charles was in his accident, she sees Estelle faint, and now when Amédée's plans for getting laid go not as expected and Estelle tells him she just wants to go home.  He walks her to a bust stop and watches as she hops on a bus for home.

Amédée is soom intercepted by a prostitute. She sees him looking down tells him to come and have some fun, and he decides to take her up on her offer... This obviously and refreshingly isn't a code film. 

Later it starts slowly going Noirsville when Valentine and Amédée are together in his room, Valentine who has now read her copy of the Arizona Jim magazine, asks Amédée about the pills Arizona Jim takes for courage. 

WTF, Amédée realizes that Batala inserted plugs for Ranimax pills. 

Amédée immediately goes up to Batala's office to complain. Batala explains this is the way they make the money to be able to publish Arizona Jim. Batala takes out the Arizona Jim magazine Amédée  has in his hand flipping it open to make the point. He also pulls out a letter that Amédée signed for a week ago that was marked urgent from Meunier. So Batala of course he gets upset at Amédée, calls him an idiot, and tells him to get out. 

He reads the letter and decides to call Edith into the office. He wants her to go "see" Mr. Baigneur. Edith tells Batala that she can't stand him. Batala explains he's very influential and likes women, especially brunettes. 

Batala: You ought to go and see him.

Edith: I can't stand him. What does he do?

Batala: He's in business. Very influential, Ranimax pills that's him. And he likes women, particularly brunettes. If you were nice...

Edith: If I were nice?

Batala: You'd take a Taxi

Edith: And then what?

Batala: Go and see him. He lives on Rue de Colisee. 

Edith: Then what?

Batala: Come on, don't be so naive. I thought in difficult circumstances you'd swallow your pride. 

Edith: My pride?

Batala: Your sweet I adore you. Baigneur, remember! 28 Rue Colisee. Third floor you'll find it easy. 

Batala kisses her and sends her on her way. Pimping his secretary, nice guy! 

But wait he's not done yet, because as Edith goes out Estelle walks in with his laundry. When she carries it in to his private quarters Batala follows locking the door behind him. Estelle once again has driven a perve into action. We fade to black.

However soon a police inspector shows up looking for Batala. One of the employees intercepts him and warns Batala, who instructs him to go back and tell the inspector that Batala has left for the day. Estelle leaves the office and we see that she seems perfectly fine with whatever happened in the fade out. 

Edith also comes back from her visit with Baigneur, and finds Batala packing a suitcase. He tells her he's got the police after him and has to split. 

They have a teary farewell near the station. When Edith asks what she will do Batala advises her that pretty girls who cry at stations are attractive to men, he assured her that she'll get by.

Batala is last seen talking with a priest on the train. It goes full Noirsville when the train carrying Batala wrecks and Batala is declared dead. 

Noirsville

 

This film was a nice find. Jean Renoir deftly directs a large ensemble cast in what is essentially a Screwball Noir. 

It fits in with the American ensemble/quasi-comedy Hollywood Classic Noirs, Grand Central Murder (1942) Deadline at Dawn (1946), Manhandled (1949) His Kind of Woman (1951), Shack Out On 101 (1955), and even Lady In The Lake (1946), has some of this quality, there are probably a few others lurking in the Classic Noirs. It's got that familiar newsroom set story quality like say Park Row or The Front Page thats combined with similar plot points found in previous and later diverse Film Noir. 

Jules Berry gives a run for their money to George Sanders, in Death of a Scoundrel. Berry is easily one on the sleasiest slimeballs in Noir. He's a combo of fast talking con man, cheap pulp magazine publisher, swindler, womanizer, and pimp. He's the bad boy type that all the ladies get moist over. 

René Lefèvre and Florelle put in great performances. There's even an interlude of sorts when Florelle performs "À la Belle Étoile." The rest of the cast is elcellent 8/10