Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) (1939)
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88% of critics liked it
(8 reviews) -
52% want to see it
(608 ratings)
Marcel Carne and Jacques Prevert's classic of French poetic realism stars Jean Gabin in one of his most famous roles as Francois, a rough, barrel-chested loner who hides out in his apartment awaiting for the police to arrive. Francois has killed a man in a crime of passion, the slimy lothario… More Marcel Carne and Jacques Prevert's classic of French poetic realism stars Jean Gabin in one of his most famous roles as Francois, a rough, barrel-chested loner who hides out in his apartment awaiting for the police to arrive. Francois has killed a man in a crime of passion, the slimy lothario Valentin (Jules Berry). As he listens in the darkness of his Normandy apartment to the police sirens closing in and getting louder, he recalls the two women that he loved -- Francoise (Jacqueline Laurent) and Clara (Arletty) -- and the evil Valentin, who stole both their hearts and forced Francois into this melancholy plight. The film was later re-made in Hollywood as The Long Night. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Marcel Carné
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Classics
Critic Reviews
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Tom Milne, Time Out
Possibly the best of the Carné-Prévert films, certainly their collaboration at its most classically pure.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
The pity of it all seems slightly forced, the melodramatics too obvious.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The screenplay is by Jacques Prevert, the most accomplished dialogist of the period, and the famous sets, with their overtones of German expressionism, are by Alexander Trauner.
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Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Set convincingly on the streets and in the tenements, every frame here feels lived in.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A superb example of French poetic realism.
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Cast
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Jean Gabin
as Francois
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Jules Berry
as M. Valentin
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Arletty
as Clara
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Jacqueline Laurent
as Francoise
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Mady Berry
as Janitor's Wife
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Jacques Baumer
as Police Inspector
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Rene Genin
as Janitor
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Rene Bergeron
as Cafe Owner
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Bernard Blier
as Gaston
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Arthur Devère
as Gerbois
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Georges Douking
as Blind Man
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Gabrielle Fontan
as Lady on Stairs
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Germaine Lix
as Singer
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Marcel Peres
as Paulo
- Léonce Corne