Série noire (1979) Online

Jim Thompson wrote dark thrillers that were turned into some superb films (The Getaway-Peckinpah, 1972; Pop. 1280, as Coup de torchon-Tavernier, 1981; The Grifters-Frears, 1990). In 1979, Alain Corneau took A Hell of a Woman and made Serie noire, one of the most remarkable French crime films. The tone is very bleak, and there is a strong element of surrealistic humor. Georges Perec co wrote the script and he contributed many nonsense words and phrases to Frank Poupart's role

Frank is a small time salesman in a Paris industrial suburb who supplements his meager earnings by stealing from his boss, Staplin. The latter has Frank tossed in jail, whereupon Mona, the seventeen-year-old girl Frank's fallen for, pays Staplin to have Frank released. Mona's aunt, who has been prostituting the girl to the neighbourhood men, now becomes a tempting target for robbery.

Marie Trintignant has made five pictures with Corneau; she has a dark, brooding quality (big black eyes) that is perfectly suited to this story. She plays the part of guardian-angel-cum-slut wonderfully. Bernard Blier is Staplin, the oily, dishonest boss to a T. Andreas Katsulas has a ball with his character, a guy so dumb you don't know how he functions in this world. Patrick Dewaere, who was to kill himself only three years after making the film, is astonishing as Poupart. Just look at the desperation behind the cool exterior, the wild things he does--smashing his head against the hood of his car, or almost drowning in the bathtub. There is a savagery about his work that you don't find in other French actors.

One of the most original film experiences of the 70s is certainly French. Série noire is distinctive in its narrative and the form is never overwhelming the content.

Although most of it seems improvised, it is always surprising to learn that all of it was written down to the last word by Perec.

The most fascinating aspect of this movie is the angle of "harsh realism" that Corneau chose to tell the story. No external music is polluting the grimy atmosphere depicted with true to life colors and textures. And yet, it is one of the most romantic movie - in the purest form of the genre - that one can wish for.

And how can anyone not be touched by the late Patrick Deweare acting. It has been said that this movie took such a toll on the actor that some are almost suggesting that it was the starting point of his depressive state. It is truly a very moving, strong performance, full of surprise and nuance, almost so strong that it is unbearable to watch.

For those who are searching for a new kind of film making and acting, Série noire is certainly one of the best movies to provide such an experience.

The late seventies, the very dull east suburban area of Paris, winter, waste grounds and awful new towns in the landscape. The set is definitely a character of the film. An amazing thriller, very dark with unique characters, completely lost in their misery, although full of the little hopes of ordinary lives. The cast includes a wonderful Patrick Deweare as "Franck", a magnificent looser, and Marie Trintignant as "Mona" a desperate teenager, almost autistic. Their encounter is the lead of this bloody black romance, that will leave you, nevertheless, with an optimistic feeling...

There is in this movie one of the best scenes ever to be seen on. Deweare is outside on a parking place, in the night in the city. He shouts etc. About love. I don't remember exactly what he says, but the sadness, lostness, despair and loneliness in the city that he is expressing, the image this scene is offering has been one of my main inspirations for my artwork. This movie makes me really cry, so much it touched me in my heart. It is like a religious experience, this image of estrangement in modern lost times in the city.

Serie noire is an excellent french movie, especially because of the acting of Patrick Dewaere, unfortunately dead now. The atmosphere is noire and tough and it is impossible not to be touched by the sensibility of this personnage play by Patrick dewaere. This is one of my favourite films of the seventies.

IMDb synopsis says that Franck Poupart, played by Patrick Dewaere, is 'slightly neurotic'. It's actually much worse, Poupart is a complete maniac, left unsupervised in a jungle of HLM, terrains vagues, poverty and filth. He even readily mumbles to himself that he's psychotic.

I heard of Série noire when looking up Dewaere bio on wikipedia. It was mentioned how physically hard the filming was on the actors, and on Dewaere in particular. The characters keep fighting and shouting at each other, and they won't stop until they're completely exhausted or drunk. Except of course for Blier, who plays the soft spoken treacherous coward. I found this movie very close in spirit to Zola who would place weak personalities in a closed environment to sadistically observe what happens. Everyone is to blame for what happens, everyone is guilty.

This is a true chef d'œuvre, but a disturbing one, the kind of movie you'll be thinking of for days to come. It's all about madness, and you'll wonder how far you are from falling into it.

Alain Corneau is part of the fixture in French cinema and delivered highly estimable pieces of work throughout his career. Hence the diversity of the genres he explored either it is the adventure film with "Nocturne Indien" (1989), probably his finest hour or the detective film with "Police Python 357" (1976) or "la Menace" (1977). Nominated for the Golden Palm in Cannes in 1979 and for several French Ocsars the following year, "Série Noire" is generally regarded as the filmmaker's peak as far as detective film is concerned. I don't share this enthusiasm at all.

True, Corneau hired the services of two of the greatest Actors, France has ever had: Patrick Dewaere and Bernard Blier shine in their respective acting and one can't say who is the grimmest of the two. They evolve in dreary scenery rightly enhanced by a somber cinematography to confer the film a depressing atmosphere. Corneau shot his film on a shoestring budget and a reduced crew to better involve emotionally the audience.

However, I'm not convinced at all by Dewaere's downward spiral who contemplates to steal the old lady's loot. Corneau doesn't leave enough clues likely to shed his demeanor and his motivations to do it. Then, if Corneau wished to highlight his tragical fate, he partly failed. The fact that Dewaere is trapped in a vicious circle because he is a victim of fatality leaves me deeply unimpressed. Mainly because once again Corneau doesn't make it obvious on the screen. And I found Marie Trintignant's lifeless acting more irritating than gripping.

So what remains are indisputable assets such as the acting and the choice of scenery but that's all. Definitely not the Corneau to which I would return.

French slacker Franck Poupart is having a hard time as a door-to-door salesman. Basically, his merchandise is of doubtful quality. One day, while driving in a suburban area, he spots a beautiful woman on a window. He decides to stop by the house. An older lady answers the door. From what Franck shows her she decides on a house coat. As a form of payment, the old woman offers him to go upstairs, where Mona is happy to oblige, getting completely naked, a feast for Patrick's eyes, but he refuses to do anything. As he leaves the house, the old lady suggests he brings her a warm winter coat.

At home, Franck's life is in disarray. Not only is his house something of a mess, his life with his wife, Jeanne, has seen better days. After a confrontation where he slaps her, Jeanne decides to walk out. At work, Franck is in trouble with his boss, Staplin, who clearly realizes his employee is up to no good, who cannot even collect from a poor man, Tikides, the money for the suit of inferior material he got from Franck.

Abandoned by Jeanne, Franck gets a visit from Mona. She tells him about the possibility of getting some easy money from the older woman. The plot involves Tikides, who after a drinking bout with the salesman, is ready for anything. Franck has a confrontation with the lady, something that ends badly. He never finds money in the house, but he gets a gun under the mattress.

Alain Corneau neonoir film showed up recently on cable. Not having seen it, we decided to take a look. "Series Noir" is somewhat dated. The copy shown had a faded look to it, that together with the depressing atmosphere of the staging, did not contribute to its enjoyment. Patrick Dewaere's appearance was what motivated this viewer to watch it. This actor, who sadly disappeared much too early, gives an intense reading to his Franck. We found him somewhat irritating in his approach to this scumbag he was portraying, although, judging from other comments we are in the minority. Same could be said of Marie Trintignant's Mona. The great Bernard Blier is excellent as the boss. The adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel was written by the director and Georges Perec.

Expecting more when start to wach this neo color french noir that in opening scene show us an upcoming weird picture, a cheap and stupid guy who works as salesman on black market maybe stolen things for door to door, the main weird character is in real case of mind study whom featured in the movie, talking alone and louder almost crazy, the way that the things will developing becames worst each more step ahead, a bit of psychology was wisely used suddenly by the bad lucky boy's boss, odd but fine entertainment for something different approach of a french's school of cinema non commercially field!!

Resume:

First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD Rating: 8

I was really really really looking forward to finally seeing this one, and was somewhat disappointing to find that the story is weak and the pacing even weaker. Patrick Deaware is fine--he actually reminded me a bit of various other actors here (he kind of looks like Vincent Gallo from Buffalo 66 and The Brown Bunny here but there's also a little bit of Johnny Depp here if you squint a bit) Honestly the film is a lot slower then it should of been--and i feel like once the big turn of the plot happens--there's not much else to keep the viewer interested in what else might happen (ie--there's not much else to the story even though the film keeps going on as if there is) I liked the little dances that Deaware's character keeps doing--and i like how it becomes clearer and clearer that he's not just a likable eccentric--he's actually certifiably insane as the film continues on--but even so you're kind of with him through most of the film---at least i was---and that's not a bad thing for a film noir....after all you're supposed to be on the main character's side--and as the film kept going on, i liked that that notion becomes more and more difficult to sustain---really makes you question the notion of why we're supposed to like the main character in most movies like this---which is a neat trick for a movie to pull but the story is just so empty after a while i was just happy to latch onto anything that i could just to maintain interest in what was happening.

I very very much loved Andreas Katsulas's performance as Tikedes here---and if anything wish that he had been given even more screen time then the handful of scenes that he has here---Love his entrance in the film with him running head first into the glass door of a telephone booth that Deaware is holding himself in to keep from being killed by this great bull of a man. Its quite a character entrance! This is i suspect one of those films that should a proper region 1 DVD release ever come out a great cult of film lovers will gather around and admire as a real true pitch black noir--but i couldn't quite bring myself to love it as i felt the pacing of the thing was just too sluggish for me to really get into, especially in the second half when i was eagerly awaiting the other shoe to drop so to speak. Would that the entire film worked as well as say the first 15, 20 minutes of the film--which had me so ready for anything that the fact that not much happen during the rest of the film is just that much more disappointing.

Alain Corneau is amongst the finest of the current writer-directors in France which makes it all the more surprising that he didn't attempt to tighten this script and erase some of the more obvious holes. Frank Poupart (Daeware) is a not very good door-to-door salesman peddling household goods from a suitcase so it is highly unlikely - make that impossible - that he would be able to produce a mohair dressing gown in Extra Large when an old lady asks for one. This is an important point because to a certain extent the rest of the movie hinges on it. Had he said he didn't carry such items, which would have been true, the old lady would not have invited him inside and he would not have met her niece (Trintignant) and slipped into the downward spiral that led to three murders. At a basic level it's the kind of situation - man meets femme fatale and it all ends in tears - that produced such classics as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, etc, but in each of those cases - a man is hired to work in a restaurant, meets the wife of the owner and starts an affair with her; insurance salesman calls at client's home to get him to renew a policy on the verge of expiring, meets the man's wife, starts an affair respectively the meetings were quite normal and not contrived as here. If you can get past that - plus the wife who goes from slut to Good Housekeeping Wife Of The Year overnight - then this is a fine, darkly comic, slightly surreal entry in which there are no winners. The mood is almost totally melancholic with gloom the predominant shade and Daeware weighs in with a remarkable performance and trivia buffs will enjoy learning that the actress who played his wife (and wound up dead) is the mother of Clovis Cornillac.