| The Murderer Lives at Number 21 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Henri-Georges Clouzot |
| Written by | Henri-Georges Clouzot Stanislas-André Steeman |
| Starring | Suzy Delair Pierre Fresnay Noël Roquevert Pierre Larquey Jean Tissier |
| Music by | Maurice Yvain |
| Cinematography | Armand Thirard |
| Editing by | Christian Gaudin |
| Release date(s) | 8 July 1942 1947 |
| Running time | 83 min. |
| Country | France |
The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (French: L'Assassin habite au 21) is a 1942 French comedy thriller film by director Henri-Georges Clouzot. Written by Clouzot and Belgian writer Stanislas-André Steeman, it was Clouzot's debut feature film. The film is about detective Wens (Pierre Fresnay) goes on the prowl for the murderer Monsieur Durand, who leaves calling cards and manages to be everywhere at once. With the aspiring actress Mila Malou (Suzy Delair), Wens follows clues to a seedy boarding house where hoping to find the murderer.
The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was the fourth film written by Clouzot for the Nazi run film company Continental Films who made films to take the place of banned American films. Clouzot made several changes from the script including the characters Mila and Wens from his previous screenplay for Le dernier des six (1941). The film was released in France to critical acclaim.
Contents |
Inspector Vorobechik (referred to as Wens' for short) receives the case about a serial killer who leaves a calling card with the name Monsieur Durand on his victims. Wens' mistress is the ditsy struggling actress Mila Malou is determined to get noticed as an actress, and attempts to help Wens find the criminal. Wens discovers that Durand is a tenant at a boarding house at No. 21 Avenue Junot. Wens takes a room at the house in disguise as a Protestant minister. The suspect is arrested, but while each is in jail, another Durand murder occurs. Both Mila and Wens discover that there are three killers. As the killers are about to murder Wens, Mila and the police come in and rescue him.
The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was the first feature film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and was the fourth screenplay he wrote for the Nazi-owned company Continental Films.[1][2] The budget for the film was considered to be quite generous and included materials that were extravagant by pre-war standards.[3] As American films were banned during the German occupation of France during World War II, Continental Films aimed at quality and commercial success in their pictures and produced films that were to take the place of the American films.[4][5] The Murderer Lives at Number 21 is a thriller with light comedic elements which this was the style of most mystery films during the occupation.[6]
Henri-Georges Clouzot was assisted by the story's original author Stanislas-André Steeman in writing the film.[5][7] The film marked the second collaboration between the two, who both collaborated on Le Dernier des Six (1941) which was a previous screenplay by Clouzot and Steeman.[8] Steeman was not happy with how Clouzot had handled either of the films.[9] Clouzot made changes from the original story including changing the setting of the story from London to Paris.[10] Clouzot also wrote in Wens and Mila Malou from Le dernier de Six to the script.[10] Both Pierre Fresnay and Suzy Delair found Clouzot to be a demanding and even violent director. Delair recalled how Clouzot got his performance out of the actors by stating that "He slapped me. So what? He slapped others as well...He was tough but I'm not about to complain".[3][11] Fresnay recalled that Clouzot "worked relentlessly, which made for a juicy spectacle...That's to say nothing for his taste of violence which he never tried with me".[3]
The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was released in France on July 8, 1942.[11] It was released in the United States in 1947.[12]
On its initial release in France, The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was popular with critics and audiences.[11] A reviewer from Le Miroir de l'Ecran noted the delighted reaction of the audience at the film's premier, noting how "amusing and witty scenes alternate judiciously with more severe and dramatic ones" and that the film created a "clever cocktail of humor and drama".[11] A reviewer from Ciné-mondial praised the directing of Clouzot, stating that he "has put the finishing touches on a production that is dense, concise, mobile, varied, all in the service of a rich imagination".[11] In the United States, a reviewer for The New York Times wrote that "The Murderer Lives at Number 21, despite a wandering script that fails to tie up many loose ends, is good fun for whodunnit fans".[13]
|
||||||||||||||