Manon (1949)

March 9, 1949 (FR) • Drama, Adventure, Thriller • 101m

Overview

Port of Marseille, France, recently liberated from the German yoke. Caught as stowaways aboard a ship, Manon, a young woman who was accused of collaborating with the Nazis, and Robert, a freedom fighter who saved her from reprisals, tell the captain about the many challenges they have had to face in order to survive.

Director

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Writers

Abbé Prévost, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Ferry

Top Billed

Serge Reggiani

Keywords

paris, france world war ii illegal immigration french resistance post world war ii boyfriend girlfriend relationship nazi collaborationism jewish refugee lost in the desert brother sister relationship

Where to watch

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Top Billed Cast

Serge Reggiani

Léon Lescaut

Michel Auclair

Robert Dégrieux

Cécile Aubry

Manon Lescaut

Andrex

Smuggler

Raymond Souplex

M. Paul

André Valmy

Lt. Besnard

Henri Vilbert

Ship Captain

Héléna Manson

Gossipy Woman

Simone Valère

Isé

Gabrielle Dorziat

Saleswoman

Dora Doll

Juliette

Gabrielle Fontan

Mme. Agnès

Wanda Ottoni

Rosy Varte

Edmond Ardisson

Michel Bouquet

Second

Robert Dalban

Headwaiter

Jean Hébey

Hotel Manager

Jean Témerson

Doorman

Paul Barge

(uncredited)

Charles Camus

Old Gentleman (uncredited)

Marius David

(uncredited)

Joé Davray

(uncredited)

Hubert de Lapparent

(uncredited)

Jean Despeaux

Boxer (uncredited)

Max Doria

(uncredited)

Jacques Dynam

Sailor (uncredited)

Max Elloy

Waiter (uncredited)

Georges Fabre

Sailor (uncredited)

Robert Fretel

(uncredited)

Daniel Ivernel

American Officer (uncredited)

François Joux

Architect (uncredited)

Jean Lagache

(uncredited)

Elisa Lamotte

(uncredited)

Liliane Maigné

(uncredited)

Frédéric Mariotti

Helmsman (uncredited)

Franck Maurice

Traveler (uncredited)

Geneviève Morel

Mother on the train (uncredited)

Henri Niel

(uncredited)

Raphaël Patorni

(uncredited)

Perrette Souplex

(uncredited)

Victor Tabournot

(uncredited)

Jean-Marc Tennberg

(uncredited)

Pierre Trabaud

(uncredited)

Charles Vissières

Old Man (uncredited)

Louis Vonelly

Mr. Dégrieux (uncredited)

Crew

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Director

Abbé Prévost

Novel

Paul Misraki

Original Music Composer

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Screenplay

Louis Wipf

Production Director

Carven

Costume Designer

Max Douy

Production Design

Lucien Lippens

General Manager

Louis Née

Camera Operator

Jean Ferry

Screenplay

Serge Vallin

Assistant Director

Armand Thirard

Director of Photography

Monique Kirsanoff

Editor

William Robert Sivel

Sound

Paul-Edmond Decharme

Producer

Reviews

John Chard

⭐ 9/10

September 28, 2019

I need fun and sparkle - I hate poverty!

Manon is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Clouzot co-adapts the screenplay with Jean Ferry from the novel "Manon Lescaut" written by Abbe Prevost. It stars Serge Reggiani, Michel Auclair, Cécile Aubry, Andrex and Raymond Souplex. Music is by Paul Misraki and cinematography by Armand Thirard.

Clouzot, still smarting from the hysterical fall out from his brilliant "Le Corbeau", realigns the Prevost novel to post war France right after the liberation from Nazi occupancy. With his muse set alight, Clouzot set about putting on film the dark venality of the human condition, to show that post war France was hardly a joyous new world. Right here with "Manon" he lets rip, thrusting to the forefront black market racketeers and prostitution, people who inhabit a morally corrupt city in serious decay.

The central narrative concerns Robert Dégrieux (Auclair a splendid dope) and Manon Lescaut (Aubry cunningly adorable), where the former quickly falls in love with the latter and finds himself spun into a vortex of mistrust and misjudgements, becoming more compulsive and foolish by the day. The pursuit of a dream life by both Robert and Manon, runs concurrently with that of the Jewish people attempting to reach Israel, it is here where Clouzot is building towards a quite outstanding last quarter of film.

As the pic pulses away with film noir character beats, these are matched by the visual astuteness of the director and his cinematographer, who use high contrasts and canted angles for narrative embracement. A number of striking sequences grab the attention, be it the portentous meeting of Robert and Manon in the war torn ruins of a church (hello Christ imagery), or a mass trek through the desert beneath ominously low night time clouds, the makers ensure the mood is constantly foreboding.

Superbly performed by the cast, "Manon" is further evidence of what a true great of cinema Clouzot was. 9/10

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Manon (1949)

Abbé Prévost, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Ferry

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

John Chard

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