Night at the Crossroads
(La Nuit du Carrefour)
With Pierre Renoir, Winna Winfried, Georges Térof.
France, 1932, 35mm, black & white, 75 min.
French with English subtitles.
Print source: British Film Institute
The first adaptation to the screen of one of Georges Simenon’s Inspector Maigret novels features Maigret—played by Renoir’s brother Pierre—trying to solve a car theft, yet being drawn into more intrigue when he finds the car with a dead man behind the wheel. Simenon and Renoir were prior friends and collaborated closely on the screenplay. The dark, enigmatic film that resulted is so ambiguous at points that it has led to theories that parts of the script were never shot or even that footage has been lost. In fact, the overwhelming impression is the return of the kind of uncanny and erotic naturalism that permeated La Chienne. Godard himself described it as “Renoir’s most mysterious film...the only great French detective movie—in fact, the greatest of all adventure movies.”
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
The Diary of a Chambermaid
This Land is Mine
The Woman on the Beach
Catherine, or A Life Without Joy
The Southerner
The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir
The Elusive Corporal
The Testament of Dr. Cordelier
Boudu Saved From Drowning
Elena and Her Men
Jean Renoir, the Boss, Part 2: Directing the Actor
