Port Of Shadows
The Criterion Collection
Studio: Criterion
Year: 1938
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: 90 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: DD Monaural
Color/B&W: B&W
Languages: French
Subtitles: English
MSRP: $29.95
Package: Keep Case
The Feature:
July is a relatively quiet month for new releases from Criterion with only two slated for the month. The first, is Yasujiro Ozu’s 1951
Early Summer and the feature, 1938's
Port Of Shadows, a film from French director Marcel Carné, both of which debut on July 20th.
En route to the foggy port city of La Havre, a trucker picks up a uniformed man hitchhiking. While it’s never clear, it’s assumed that Jean (played by Jean Gabin) is on the lam, a deserter from the French army, looking for nothing more than a change of clothes and a hot meal. During the ride into town, Jean reaches over and almost puts the truck into a ditch in an attempt to avoid a stray dog crossing the road. His actions cause a near physical altercation between him and the driver and it also leads to an unusual friendship that lasts throughout the film. During his trek through town, his new drunken friend, Quart Vittel (played by Raymond Aimos), takes Jean to Panama's, a flophouse of sorts, where he can get some food and rest. Like Jean himself, Panama (played by Edouard Delmont) has accumulated a group of reprobates who all seem to be fleeing something for one reason or another. Although it seems Panama knows Jean is up to no good, it makes no difference as he seems to understand the needs of those he shelters.
While hiding out, Jean meets Nelly (played by Michèle Morgan), who he thinks is a prostitute but is quick to tell her he loves her. Another key figure is Zabel (played by Michel Simon), who is running from tough guy Lucien (played by Pierre Brasseur) and his thugs. While he is seeking shelter at Panama’s, the host notices that he is covered in blood and is asked to leave. Jean falls for Nelly hard and soon he discovers that her recent boyfriend has disappeared. After an unfortunate incident decides the fate of one of Panama’s frequent patrons, it provides a new set of clothes for Jean, but will the new clothes lead to an opportunity for the man to take advantage of a new lease on life, or seal his fate of inevitable doom…?
I’ve read quite a bit about this shadowy film prior to the arrival of the screener but I’d never had the pleasure of seeing it.
Port of Shadows just oozes atmosphere, and I can’t think of a better example of early French noir. Without question, the film is a quintessential example of French romantic fatalism though it lacks the German Expressionism often associated with earlier films noir.
Port of Shadows is loaded with many examples of skewed camera angles while the overall feeling and mood of the film is that of bleakness and disillusionment. Jean’s character (beyond Gabin’s enormous charismatic screen presence), specifically is straightforward, cantankerous yet most likeable. Even though many of the other characters spend a great deal of time in certain scenes, we know little about who they are and what they’re involved with. It’s obvious that this film had a number of hurdles and roadblocks to pass through most of which Carné was successful and the film ends with a brutally violent murder that was most certainly not typical for the period.
The Feature: 4/5
Video:
Without question, rating older films (and their respective transfers) has to be the hardest part of the review. The transfer is only going to be as good as the elements that were used. So when a company does the best they can with elements that weren’t cared for or have deteriorated causing poorer video presentations, do we as reviewers assign a lower grade to the video presentation…? In my opinion, no. At least “no”, provided the company has a proven track record in delivering the goods in the past. All of which is why I tend to hold transfers of newer films to a higher standard.
I preface my video portion with this because I believe that’s the case here with Criterion and their efforts with
Port Of Shadows. When the film started, I had some serious concerns as the overall look of the image was rather poor. It soon becomes clear however, that only certain reels have
some issues that need to be addressed. When the film starts, including and just after the intro credits, the image lacks any real definition and contains a hefty amount of coarse grain rendering a rather diffused image. However as the film progresses, it clearly looks wonderful. So, for the most part the overall image of this sixty six year old film looks pretty darn good.
The level of image definition is much better than I expected although the level of grayscale is rather limited and shadow detail and contrast levels are just adequate. Much is this is due to the fact the black levels are just satisfactory while whites were rather grayish and not as stark as we would hope for. Except for the odd problematic scenes that crop up, the amount of fine film grain is moderate and appropriate however, when the troubled scenes do pop up, expect very coarse and heavy grain.
There was a fair amount of light shimmer and more dust and dirt particles than I would have hoped for but still very acceptable. Thankfully, there were no signs of any compression errors or artifacting issues.
For the most part, the overall look of this film is terrific, other than a few problematic scenes. Given Criterion’s track record and their history for producing exceptional transfers, I have to assume they did the best they could with what was provided to them.
Video: 4/5
Audio:
The track provided is a French mono Dolby Digital (1.0) with optional English subtitles.
There is a fair amount of voice activated hiss present throughout much of the dialogue of this film. It wasn’t what I would describe as annoying but it was noticeable. The overall tonal quality of the track is rather natural, bordering on slightly harsh.
Although much of the dialogue was rather thin and slightly veiled, for the most part it was usually clear.
Beyond the inherent limitations of the monaural format itself, the track does what it needs to – no more, no less.
Audio: 3.5/5
Special Features:
[*] First up is a
Gallery of 34 shots of various posters, stills and publicity shots which are all captioned with brief descriptions. Thanks and credit is given to Iconothèque/Biblothèque Du Film and Studiocanal Image, Paris as well as the Marcel Carné archive at the French Library & Cultural Center in Boston.
[*] The next special feature is the
Theatrical Trailer which is in pretty rough shape. If the original elements were in similar condition to the trailer, it might be a good indicator of how good a job Criterion actually did with the film itself. Duration: 3:50 minutes
[*] The last special feature is 32 page booklet/insert. Other than the typical Cast & Crew information, the insert lists all chapter stops as well as two essays. The first essay is by Luc Sant and the second essay is a long excerpt from Marcel Carné's autobiography, "My Life with Gusto”. He discusses the casting of the film as well as numerous hurdles he had to overcome, while the first essay spends a great deal of time touching on the film’s influence in future French pictures. There are also a number of gorgeous frame captures of the film interspersed throughout the booklet. Both essays are great reads and certainly worth your time.
As for the single disc itself, it is in a keepcase with drop dead gorgeous cover art that captures perfectly the mood and feel of the film. Although the special features are not in a great abundance, what is included is solid and undoubtedly accounts for the lower price point of this Criterion release.
Special Features: 3.5/5
**Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity**
Final Thoughts:
I’ve often said that it’s the better films that stick with you long after screening them, and it’s been awhile since a film has stuck with me like this one has. Some don’t consider films from the 30’s to qualify as film noir, others have a difficult time buying into foreign films fitting into the noir genre. Frankly, I can’t think of a better example of an early entry film that qualifies strongly in both categories not to mention a film that is a truly remarkable.
Considering Criterion’s past history, one has to assume they did the best they could with the elements they had to work with and even beyond that, the film is just too good to dismiss due to a rather average A/V presentation.
Overall Rating: 4/5 (not an average)
Recommended…!
Release Date: July 20th, 2004
