jcappy A middling movie---either good or not good, depending on the viewer, but not more and not less. 5.5-6.6 range (if you're not taken in by the music). One thing is certain: it doesn't live up to its title. In fact, it seems the opposite of it--as about as far from noir as you can get. That is, very conventional in both plot, character, place. This can only be ascribed to the director and his obvious need to make a movie that would ruffle no one's feathers. But there's more to his problem than that--the characters are too flat, over-directed, or subject to stock interactions. They seem to be either too restrained or too placed in some clichéd opposition--the triangle love thing, for example.Part of the problem arises from personalizing a story which must be larger. The only peep at the world we get are the industrial cityscape around Frank's job, and then in his second coming at Bordeaux he seems to let into the château's ordered environment some of the conflicted world. To me, the best scene in the movie is Patricia's wild scream upon yanking open the door--on his mug. Hey, some genuine dramatic energy--and Frank provides a bit more of this before his quick demise. But in general, the nice characters inhabit too nice a world, and are bound to too nice an end in which nature, love, and joy of tradition are confirmed by a few personages on a rural estate.So how is it good? It has its moments, and it has three good actors who make them happen. Baye's performance is obviously the most convincing--and at moments special. But it can be unnerving---Patricia cannot lie, and she cannot tell the truth, so talk is out and when she does speak this can cause dead space and produce much self-castigation in the Meyrands. Mrs. Meyrand (Madeleine Robinson) is also steady and direct, and some of the scenes between this son-loving woman and Patricia express an unusual warmth, and commonality, (more so than Patricia's with Pierre--he seems too directed and stiff). Frank (Richard Bohringer), Helen's slimy cynic of a husband, lucks out on some good lines toward the end and brings them off. Oh yes and the winery worker girlfriend, Fido, does have some snap--and brings a bit of the world to bear on this closely controlled drama.That's about it. Since the movie is pretty bereft of self-questioning or ideas, that tends to limit, methinks, discussion.

Nicholas Rhodes This film is based on an American Novel and was made in France. Whilst French Cinema was good on crime thriller films amongst others, they don't know how to make romantic films like the Americans ! If the same subject had been dealt with by an American cinematographer, the result would have been better. That said, I enjoyed this film because of its nice theme music, the beautiful Nathalie Baye, the rolling Medoc countryside and the pure kindness of Guy Tréjean. I also like Véronique Genest and Madeleine Robinson. Bohringer is another kettle of fish so to speak by there again he has a dirty role. Probably unknown outside France, the world won't come to an end if you don't get round to seeing this one !!!

dbdumonteil This one may be the worst of all Irish's (Cornell Woolrich's) adaptation for the screen.Not because they have transposed the action from California to the vineyards of Bordeaux,but because they totally betrayed the novel.Robin Davis ,a thoroughly faceless director, could not render Irish's doomed atmosphere to the slightest extent.The dialogue is mean,poor,repetitive,Richard Boringer,the villain,is reduced to repeat almost the same lines three times.The conclusion becomes an happy end,forgetting the terrible final lines of the novel,something like:"We've lost.That's all I know.We've lost.And now the game is over." Irish's tragic tale of fatality is turned into a soap opera .Natalie Baye could have been the character,had she found the adequate team. The only comedian on the screen who generates some emotion is veteran Madeleine Robinson.This was a blockbuster in France,but ,alas, almost nobody read the book.Do it,and avoid this bland movie.NB :A new adaptation ,"Mrs Winterbourne" (1996) ,is worse.The best,by far ,is Mitchell Leisen's "No man of her own" starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Alfonso-2 This moody romantic thriller owes its entire plot to a little known and never released on video thus far film,"No Man Of Her Own" starring Barbara Stanwyck as a pregnant woman who after a train accident is mistaken for a rich young man's wife, they both died in the accident but her troubled past comes back to haunt her. This is the same plot of this film but Nathalie Baye is no Barbara Stanwyck. Decent effort nonetheless. Also Remade as "Mrs.Winterbourne" with Ricki Lake and Shirley Mcclaine.