Synopsis
The third
Renoir-
Gabin collaboration turns
Zola’s naturalist novel into a prototypical film noir.
Gabin plays Jacques Lantier, a train driver with a fatal alcoholic inheritance who witnesses a murder and falls for the dangerous, kittenish Séverine (
Simone Simon).
Gabin is pivotal to the film’s ability to weld together a social picture of workers’ solidarity (he was decorated by the railworkers’ union for his authentic portrayal) and a powerful, dark crime melodrama.
