Martin Bradley "Le Quai Des Brumes" is one of the great masterpieces of French cinema; as deeply romantic in its way as "Casablanca" but much more melancholic. Jean Gabin is the army deserter waiting in a fog-bound Le Havre for a ship to take him to South America who falls for Michele Morgan's Nelly, living in fear of her guardian and potential seducer Zabel, (the great Michel Simon). You know its all bound to end in tears and it does, mostly the audience's; only the hardest of hearts will fail to be moved by the plight of these doomed lovers. The director was Marcel Carne, working at the very height of his powers. The writer was Jacques Prevert, the superb cinematography was by Eugen Schufftan and Alexandre Trauner conjured up Le Havre on mostly studio sets. The great score was by Maurice Jaubert.

GManfred It's all been said about "Port Of Shadows", and better than I could say it, so just a few observations on this picture. I really enjoy Jean Gabin in almost everything he is in, and this was no exception. It could be a prototype of the film noir genre, as all the elements are there. But I have to say that I had some issues with the film and I do not hold it in as high regard as most contributors seem to.I thought the character played by Pierre Brasseur, a small-time hoodlum, was too ineffectual and lacking in toughness to lead a band of crooks. Who would follow such a cream puff? Hence, the climactic scene does not ring true, as he would be incapable of an act of such finality and violence.I thought the love scenes with Gabin and Michele Morgan were startlingly heartfelt and genuine. A great deal of chemistry in these scenes, particularly the final scene. Made me wish I understood French.I can't recall if anyone attached any significance to the dog, but I did not. The dog disappears toward the end of the film and Gabin does not seem to have a great attachment to it, and, in fact, seems to lose interest in the dog midway through the picture.Finally, I enjoyed the film but I do not feel it is a timeless classic and that many viewers comments are overwrought. It is a good but not a great film, one in which the feeling of doom hangs too heavily over the proceedings, and from a great director who went on to direct better pictures (Le Jour Se Leve, Enfants Du Paradis). My rating is six.

blanche-2 Jean Gabin and Michelle Morgan star in the stylish Marcel Carne film, "Port of Shadows," made in 1938. There is simply no one like Jean Gabin - Hollywood had no idea what to do with him - here he was, this amazing leading man who looked like a character actor. Thankfully, the French knew what they had and kept him busy for 48 years.Gabin plays Jean, a military deserter who comes into the French port of Le Havre, intending to leave aboard ship for Venezuela. He meets the beautiful Nelly and is adopted by a small dog. Nelly is a real man magnet; she has a boyfriend Maurice, a father figure who is in love with her named Zabel, and Lucien, a hood in love with her. She and Jean fall in love, even though in her heart she knows that he has to leave Le Havre.These French films out-noir American film noirs, and this is a stylish, dark film filled with sadness, with a depressing ambiance throughout. If you were miserable when you started watching it, you'll be a mess when it's over. What I've gone through for Gabin - he was in so many dark, depressing films! If you're a fan of film noir (and/or Gabin), this is for you.

azuremorningsky Le quai des brumes is a french film made in 1938 and directed by Marcel Carné. The plot of the film revolves around a military deserter named Jean who is trying to leave the country to avoid being forced back into service. While getting ready for his escape he happens across a dog that he takes in and falls in love with a young woman named Nelly who he tries to protect. Le quai des brumes is a provocative film with a strong cast and even stronger writing. The cinematography is unique as well with its visually dark ascetics which would become the hallmark of the film noir movement in America in later years . The theme of the film is based around the idea of a hostile and alienating world in which the people are unable to escape their inevitable and untimely fate. This theme is strongly emphasized by the fact that most of the characters introduced in the film die horrible deaths or live with deep regrets. While this is a good film and I did enjoy it up to a certain point the plot presents a fairly bleak world view and shows a lot of the characters with less than desirable personality traits and goes as far as to subtly make fun of them. An example of this is in the scene in where Jean talks to a stranger about cubist painting . In conclusion i would recommend Le quai des brumes for anyone who wants to see a classic french film or study films that later influenced the creation of film noir .If you like this film I would recommend Leon the professional, Blade runner and Dark City which all can trace aspects of their creation back to Le quai des brumes and to the Poetic realism movement in France.