Zou-Zou (1934) On the Cusp of Noir to come

"All the ingredients of a Caberatera Noir minus the brothel."

Directed by Marc Allégret (Fanny, Entrée des artistes).

Written by G. Abatino and Carlo Rim and based on Abatino's novel Zouzou. 

Cinematography was by Boris Kaufman (Baby Doll, On The Waterfront, 12 Angry Men), Michel Kelber (Un Carnet de bal) , Jacques Mercanton, and Louis Née (Hotel Du Nord) . Music by Alain Romans, Vincent Scotto, Georges Van Parys. 

The film stars Josephine Baker as Zouzou, a Haitian orphan, Jean Gabin as Jean, an orphan, Pierre Larquey as Le Père Melé, aka Papa Melé, their adoptive father, ringmaster of the Cirque Romarin, Claire Gerard as La Veuve (the widow) Vallée, owner of the laundry, Yvette Lebon as Claire Vallée, daughter of Mme. Valée, Illa Meery as Miss Barbara, star of the music hall, mistress of M. de Saint-Levy, Madeleine Guitty as Josette, dresser at the music hall, Marcel Vallée as M. Trompe, manager of the music-hall. 

                                                                Josephine Baker as Zouzou

Jean Gabin as Jean

Story

Cirque Romarin a traveling carnival / circus. Papa Melé is the carney talker / barker / ringmaster up on a bally drawing a crowd creating excitement a with a free sample performance of what they will see inside the tent. 

There's a string of ladies, part of the girlie show, and one of the attractions a "brother/sister/twins" act one white one brown. Jean and Zouzou. The kids are really the orphans of two different circus performers who died. Zouzou has a gift for comedy and singing. 

We cut to Manila. A bare breasted dancer gyrates to a native tune. We see a grown up Jean, now a sailor in the French Navy.

He's got a girl in every port. He's saying goodbye to one of his sweethearts because he's done with his service and is heading back to France. He writes a postcard to Zouzou who receives it a week before Jean arrives.

When his ship arrives Jean is quarantined for 10 days but he jumps ship, and heads for the flat of the now retired Papa Melé and Zouzou's in Toulon. Zouzou is over the moon in love with Jean, however Jean is oblivious and  still thinks of her as his sister.

They have a great reunion but the shore patrol picks up Jean and they put him in the brig. 

While in the brig he learns from a fellow inmate of an electrician job at a music hall theater in Paris that is open. 

Jean gets the job and moves the the family to Paris. Zouzou also gets a job as a laundress working for Widow Valé who does a lot of business with the nearby music hall performers.

Zouzou delivers the laundry to the hall and then entertains the laundry workers upon her return, imitating the talentless star singer Barbara who is the protege of one of the silent partner producers of Trompe the owner. 

Jean sets his eye on Claire who works with Zouzou. After Zouzou and Claire get off work they all go dancing at the Chez Oscar a ballroom. There, there is a physical altercation between Jean and a douche who tries to force Zouzou to dance with him. Jean knocks the guy out.

Back at the music hall Barbara is late for a rehearsal. A call to her reveals that she is moping in bed depressed about her lover leaving for Brazil.  

The chorus girls encourage Zouzou to try on her costume and become a stand in while Jean adjusts a spotlight on her, She amuses herself making shadows on the curtain until Jean raises it. Trompe sees her dancing and she spots Trompe and embarrassed, she runs off.

Then in quick succession, Barbara decides she wants to follow her lover and Jean helps her to do so leaving the show without it's star, Jean and Claire become an item, then topping it off, Papa Melé falls off some scaffolding and is seriously hurt. He's brought back to the apartment, fellow renters go out to get help but with Zouzou by his side he dies. This sends Zouzou running down into the street where she witnesses Julot murdering with a gun, the same guy Jean decked at the dancehall. 

Then it goes Noirsville when just afterwards Jean coming home stumbles upon the body and in good ol Noir tradition, picks up the murder weapon, just as the police arrive. 

Zouzou runs over and tries to explain that it was Julot but they ignore her and Jean is carted off. Now, determined to help with Jean's defense Zouzou pressures Trompe to let her take Barbara's place in the show.

Noirsville

This is basically a Drama  with a lot of full musical pieces, even Jean Gabin sings a song whilst dancing at the ballroom with Claire. Crime in the tale is only tangential to the story.

Josephine Baker is top billed, she was one of the most celebrated performers of Folies Bergère in Paris at that time. 

This is Bakers film and watching her in her comedic interactions earlier with entertaining children and later with her fellow laundresses she will remind you, if you are familiar, of the some of the same vaudeville shtick used by Fanny Brice, and Harpo Marx. One of her Music Hall shows main acts is Zouzou costumed as a bird in a gilded cage with just white patches of marabou feathers barely covering her breasts.

Obviously, the nudity sprinkled throughout the film, alone, would have gotten the French right wing and religious publications "Films Noir" seal of disapproval. We get a modicum of some Visual style, a murder, and some unrequited love, which if it had been reciprocated, would have been condemned as miscegenation here in the US South. On the Cusp of the great French Noir soon to come.

Worth a watch for Josephine Baker and a young Jean Gabin. 7/10.