La p... respectueuse aka The Respectful Wh*re (1952) Southern Fried French Noir

"A nice addition to our list of Film Noir " (Noirsville)

Ok here's the way to watch this. 

Ya gotta  pretend that in a parallel time, the French, way back when, won the French and Indian War during the 1750-60s, instead of Britain. 

Pretend the U.S.A. was completely French, but all the cultural history that followed was the same. i.e., there was the Civil War North and South Frenchmen, etc., etc., and the Jim Crow South still happened but with a French twist in a parallel time / universe.  

Just go with that premise just as if you were watching say Alphaville, Dark City, or any Sci-Fi film, you are de-coupled from reality....

This was co-Directed by Charles Brabant (Zoé, Le piège, Les naufrageurs) and Marcello Pagliero an actor writer known for known for (Rome, Open City, Paisan). Written by Alexandre Astruc and Jacques-Laurent Bost, based on Jean-Paul Sartre's  play: "La Putain Respecteuse," 1946.

Excellent Cinematography by Eugen Schüfftan who worked on the special effects for Metropolis, and lensed (Port of Shadows, Eyes Without A Face, The Hustler, Something Wild) , Music composed by Georges Auric.

The film stars Schetting (an unknown black actor with no bio info) as Sidney, and Barbara Laage (Act of Love), as Lizzie Mac-Kay, singer / hostess / prostitute. 

Schetting as Sidney

 

Barbara Laage as Lizzie Mac-Kay

Also starring Ivan Desny as Fred Clarke, the senator’s son, Walter Bryant as Teddy Barnes, the senator’s nephew, Marcel Herrand as Senator Edouard Clarke.

Ivan Desny as Fred Clarke

An uncredited Police Detective lt., and Walter Bryant as Teddy Barnes rt.
'

Marcel Herrand as Senator Edouard Clarke

Also appearing are Yolande Laffon as Marie, the senator’s sister, Marie Olivier as Annie, a friend of Lizzie’s, André Valmy as Georges, the club owner, Jacques Hilling as the drunk in the nightclub, Louis de Funès as a nightclub patron (credited as De Funes), Jean Danet as a nightclub patron, Byron and O’Thella as the Blue Bell's  club’s star performers, Grégoire Gromoff as a nightclub patron, Jacques Sandry as Luc Andrieux the bartender, François Joux as the TV journalist (credited as Joux), and Nicolas Vogel as a nightclub patron. 

Story

We get the standard style credits sequence with an overture type music by Auric.  Then we dissolve into a shot of a passenger train traveling through agricultural fields, It's what Charles McGraw in the Narrow Margin called, "a rattler," a steam locomotive pulling six passenger cars. 

We get one shot where we clearly see electric catenary wires of an electrified mainline, meaning that that train is a local and probably going off electrification at some point to a branch line steam division. 

Lizzie's porabable train journey from NYC to Knoxville, Tennessee. (for railway nerds only)

• New York City to Washington, D.C.: You departed from New York's Pennsylvania Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad. 

From Washington D.C  Lizzie would have switched railways. So a Norfolk & Western passenger train leaving D.C would have went as so....    

• Washington, D.C. to Lynchburg, Virginia: The train N&W train with trackage rights would have used  Southern Railway tracks, heading south through Virginia to Lynchburg.

• Lynchburg to Bristol, Virginia: At Lynchburg, the train was handed over to the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W). N&W locomotives (such as their famous Class J steam engines) hauled the train through key stops like Roanoke (through an electrified section) onward to the twin cities of Bristol (Virginia/Tennessee).

• Bristol to Knoxville, Tennessee: At Bristol, the train left the N&W rails and returned to the Southern Railway main line, which carried you straight west/southwest into Knoxville.  

We cut to the interior of a car. Two black men, Sidney and his pal Rex are seated on a bench seat, all the interior windows are open and all have venetian blinds throwing shadows as the car sways.

Rex is wearing his glasses and is reading a book. Sidney is looking at a newspaper. A black porter appears with two ice cold pop bottles, straws jutting from the necks, and hands them off. Its their order.  

We follow the porter as he turns towards the back of the car and see some more passengers in the coach seats on the opposite side of the aisle, they are all black also. The first thought that comes into my mind is (I watched this completely blind) that the story must be taking place in one of France's old African colonies. Seriously, something along the lines of Coup de Torchon.

The porter is back at his station. and he grabs a paper cup, and gets a drink of water out of a crock that's strapped  up against a partition wall. The two men finish sucking on their pops and Sidney, gathers the empties. Which he disposes of by dropping them out of the window. Nice touch. 

But a second later, the partition door between this section and the next, opens and a good looking blonde, Lizzie Mac-Kay, comes walking right in and stops. She's got lipsticked lips, gold earrings, and sunglasses. 

She's wearing a hat that matches both her top and skirt. Got some class got some  taste. The top is striped, and the skirt is white. She's wearing nylons and strappy heels. She's carrying a coat over her arm, her purse, and tucking some packages against her. She's carrying a models round hat box in her other hand. 

Now if you were quick, and looking at the right spot, just before Lizzie opens the door between the sections, on the glass, printed in large letters is BAR and below it in smaller size to fit, "No Coloreds Allowed." Ahhh. That explains the something is off feeling I got initially. It's a segregated club car.

Sidney nudges Rex, next to him with his elbow. Rex pulls off his reading glasses, for a look-see, and everybody in the car is now watching Lizzie. The porter recovers from the surprise, and starts advancing. Lizzie looks around, drops her hat box, and pulls off her sunglasses. 

She looks at the rest of the car, glances to her left and spots a lounge nook with a a single bench seat across from a full bench. A more private place to sit. 

She then reaches for her hat box again and carries it to nook. She drops some of the articles in her hand on bench seat across from her singe seat, and then she  calls to the porter for some help while lifting her hatbox into the luggage rack.

Lizzie: So couldn't you help a lady out?

The porter walks up to Lizzie.

Porter: You can't stay here Ma'am.

Lizzie: Thanks to the guy seated next to me, he's drunk, and he's not a kid he's a lout. A woman can't travel alone these days. You have to smack them. It's not my style but there's limits. Is he a pig, or just in heat? 

Porter: Madame this car is reserved for colored passengers. 

Lizzie: Why, do I scare them? 

Porter: Its forbidden to white passengers.

Lizzie: So much the better. I won't be bothered with imbeciles here.

Porter: Madame you must stay with the whites. 

Lizzie: You say we're in the "colored" car that's funny. 

Porter: Fine I'll go look for the boss.

The porter takes off back down the car and out of it, heading further towards the rear car of the train looking for the conductor. Lizzie gets more comfortable in her seat. She sticks a cigarette into a holder, lights it and opens a magazine on her lap. 

Suddenly the door to the bar car flies open and two men burst into the compartment. One is Teddy Barnes, big dumb and drunk as a skunk. He's holding a booze bottle in one hand. The other, is Foster one of his drinking buddies, also plastered. Both freeze.

Suddenly the door to the bar car flies open and two men burst into the compartment. One is Teddy Barnes, big dumb and drunk as a skunk. He's holding a booze bottle in one hand. The other, is Foster one of his drinking buddies, also plastered. Both freeze.

Teddy un-freezes when his synapses start firing again, and looks around the car. When he spots Lizzie to his left, he walks over and sits down opposite her, and starts pestering. She tells him to get back out, he starts to put his hands on her. 

She stands up and slaps him again. Most of the rest of the passengers of the car get up and in single file down the aisle and disappear into the vestibule. Sidney and Rex stay seated. 

While Lizzie is struggling with Teddy she calls out to Sidney and Rex to come and help her. They are pretty much frozen in place and amused by the spectacle. 

Teddy glances at the two black men, and takes great umbrage over the looks on their faces. Teddy marches down and confronts Rex. Rex calmly explains to Teddy that he is not allowed in this car. Teddy goes bezerk and grabs Rex out of his seat, and pushes him towards the front of the car. 

Rex loses his balance while shoved backwards, and his his head hard on the exposed wooden end of the arm rest on the lounge seat, and gets knocked unconscious. 

Teddy jumps right after him, and grabbing the bottle he left on the bench seat, he smashes Rex upside his head killing him. Lizzie immediately screams and pulls the emergency cord. The locomotive whistle screams in one long blast and the train brakes.

Sidney tussling with Foster, stops and sees what happened and knees down by Rex.

We cut to state Senator Edouard Clarke's office where he's about to hold a function. He's with Judge Algrine discussing politics. The Senator receives a phone call informing him that his sister's son, his nephew,Teddy Barnes has killed a black man. 

We cut to Police headquarters. I don't recall any place names given to the town or state but Sartre's play takes place in Tennessee and Knoxville fits the railroad journey of Lizzie. 

Teddy and Foster are questioned by a police detective, neither is very cooperative. Fred Clarke the senator's son is observing his crazed cousin Teddy who pretty much admits he killed Rex because he was black. 

The detective in charge has Lizzie brought into the office for questioning. She hears Fred Clark's request to get Teddy out on bail deigned and the police advising him to get Teddy a good lawyer. 

Lizzie: So is this going to take long? Why are you keeping me here?

Detective: Just a minute, to give your testimony. 

Lizzie: I'll bet, here we go again.

Detective: Just three simple questions, and you can go.  What do you do?

Lizzie: I already told you. I'm a singer.

Detective: What's your business here? 

Lizzie: An engagement at the Blue Bell.

Detective: You have a contract?

In answer, Lizzie opens her purse and pulls out a folded piece of paper and tosses it at the detective. 

Detective: A contract as a hostess. 

Lizzie: I didn't say I was hired as a singer, I said I was a singer. 

Detective: And in New York did you work as a singer or as a hostess. 

Lizzie: A hostess. 

Detective: Then why did you lie?

Lizzie: I didn't lie.

Detective: Where were you engaged as a singer? 

Lizzie: I'm singing for you now aren't I?

Detective: Did you leave your position?

Lizzie: Yes on the 20th. 

Detective: Perfect. Now explain what you were doing in the colored car?

Lizzie: I had to move. Why, is it against the law?

Detective: Yes, it's against the law! Even dangerous.

Lizzie [sarcastically]: Well today it was dangerous for le Noir (the Blacks)!

Detective: Around here we don't joke about that. Have you anything to add?

Lizzie: No nothing.

Detective: You can go

Lizzie grabs her contract, stands up and starts walking towards the door.

Detective: While we're on the subject if it interests you, prostitution around here means a month in jail. 

Lizzie: That doesn't interest me. Nice try if  you can prove it.

Lizzie slips out of the police station and outside she is met by her friend Annie another "hostess," who has brought a Packard taxi to take her to the Blue Bell and her new flop. 

Here we cut to Sidney sitting in a kitchen with his wife, Marilyn. He's explaining what happened. She's worrying about him running off from the police. He's relating that he did so because he was afraid. He was alone with two white men and a white woman. 

His biggest concern is what the white woman testified to. Soon the cops do arrive out front and Sidney sneaks away out the back door. The plain clothes cops come in and question Marilyn and direct her to tell Sidney that they want him down at the station.

The plain clothes cops come in look around and then question Marilyn and direct her to tell Sidney if he comes back, that they want him down at the station.

Here we cut to Lizzie and Annie at their flop. Lizzie is in a bathrobe and unpacking while the girls shoot the breeze about New York and current brouhaha in town over the death of Rex on the train. 

Marie Olivier as Annie

Annie is liking some of her wardrobe bought in NY. They hear a car pull up and its the police. The cops again question Lizzie and they again once again check Lizzie's contract.  

It goes Noirsville that evening. Through a messenger, word spreads among the working black population of the city. Trouble is brewing. All the downtown nightclubs lose their waiters, kitchen staff, musicians. etc, etc. 

The KKK types and politicians are cooking up a story that Teddy killed Rex, because he and Sidney were trying to rape Lizzie. 

Fred Clark the senator's son is charged with getting Lizzie, to sign a statement accusing the two black men of attempting to rape her.

Noirsville

Byron and O’Thella

This is a nice forgotten, one off Noir. The fact that there are two directors makes you want to know more of the story of how it all got put together. Charles Brabant made only a few films, and Marcello Pagliero was more of a writer / actor. 

Barbara Laage is wonderful as the, been around the block a lot, Lizzie. Schetting our unknown black lead is quite believable and has quite a bit of screen time, too bad he dropped off the face of the earth. The rest of the cast is fine, a shout out to Walter Bryant playing bigot nut job Teddy Barnes.

The real unexpected surprize is the atmospheric cinematography of Noir vet Cinematographer Eugen Schüfftan. 

O'Thella of Byron et O'Thella "the stars of the club" perform a nice piece of American Jazz as the Blue Bell's featured musical act.  Worth seeking out. 7/10.