JasparLamarCrabb Love fades and hatred settles in, holding firm for a very long time in Pierre Granier-Deferre's grim study of a marriage gone bad. Jean Gabin & Simone Signoret are a married couple whose relationship has outlasted their love for one another. They live in nearly mute misery, staying out of each other's way & exchanging notes as opposed to speaking. Gabin shows more affection, in fact ALL of his affection, toward a stray cat than to his wife. Signoret, a one-time acrobat injured years earlier & now saddled with a permanent limp exacts a terrible revenge on both Gabin and his cat. Granier-Deferre peppers the film with a fair amount of symbolism, but it's never muddy. It's quite clear that the decline of Gabin's and Signoret's relationship coincides with the gentrification of their neighborhood. Their house is the last on the block slated for demolition. An astounding, brilliantly acted movie and a very harsh look at just how nasty one human can be toward another. Philippe Sarde did the haunting music score.

Nicholas Rhodes This is hardly what you would call a film of action, in fact all the director could muster was a couple of shots from a pistol resulting in one dead moggie ! No, it's a film destined to a limited audience, and, even worse, is pessimistic and gloomy. A bit of a shame because Pierre Granier-Deferre has produced some more interesting stuff than this. However, it is watchable if you like the main actors, Jean Gabin and Simone Signoret, which I do. Their performance ( and the cat's ) makes the film just about watchable. Jean Gabin and Simone Signoret's couple has been flagging for a while, he does not love her any more and gives all his affection to this famous cat, whilst SS is getting more and more irate....alors, ce qui devait arriver, arriva .... she shoots the cat ! The gloominess of the film is compounded by the fact that they live in a neighbourhood which is gradually being demolished day by day to make place for high rise blocks, and their old house stands out like a sore thumb amongst the ruins. There is little human dialogue in the film ( but Gabin does seek some solace from a neighbour lady friend ), there is some slow-motion cat dancing on scaffolding and various futile attempts by Signoret to start conversation. In summary, it is well acted, these two are "monstres sacrés" from French cinema so I think the film is worth watching for their performance. If I am not mistaken it was made in the western Paris suburbs, either near Colombes or the Courbevoie/Puteaux area which has been transformed into La Défense business complex. For this reason alone the film is an interesting record of a long demolished area of the Paris suburbs. Also on the positive side, picture and sound quality are excellent.

dbdumonteil A critic whose name I forgot wrote:"imagine that in "le jour se lève" (1939),Jean Gabin did not die;he would have married Jacqueline Laurent and what would have become of them?Probably what Granier-Deferre shows in his movie (adapted from Georges Simenon)".It's a harsh cruel ruthless effort:daily life ,routine,humdrum,a love worn away by time have destroyed everything."Wounds have burst open,and corridors rust/Once proud and truthful,now humble and bent/Fires which burnt brightly,now energies spent"(Keith Reid) These two former lovers have become the worst enemies;Gabin has transferred his affection to a pet,and Signoret cannot stand it.Around them,wrecking balls are destroying all the old houses,it's a transparent metaphor ;their world is crumbling and they know it.The second part,when Gabin stops talking to his wife and writes her notes to communicate is downright depressing.And however,the ending will show that even after floating on an ocean of mud,love ,or something which looks like love, survives.

Maciste_Brother To make a review short, the acting by Jean Gabin and Simone Signoret is nothing short of fantastic. The film is a downer but it's worth watching. There's something in French cinema that's unique. It often creates towering, almost mythical characters through mundane situations. The two actors make anyone from Hollywood look amateurish.