Les visiteurs du soir (1942)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writers:

Jacques Prévert (writer) and
Pierre Laroche (writer)

Release Date:

29 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

At the end of the 15th century, two minstrels Gilles and Dominique come from nowhere into the castle of Baron Hugues...

Plot Keywords:

Devil | Love | Baron | Castle | Fire

Cast

Arletty	...	Dominique
Marie Déa	...	Anne
Fernand Ledoux	...	Le baron Hugues
Alain Cuny	...	Gilles
Pierre Labry	...	Le seigneur
Jean d'Yd	...	Le baladin
Roger Blin	...	Le montreur de monstres
Gabriel Gabrio	...	Le bourreau
Marcel Herrand	...	Le baron Renaud
Jules Berry	...	Le diable
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Janine Berry	...	(uncredited)
Claudye Carter	...	(uncredited)
François Chaumette	...	Un page (uncredited)
Arsenio Freignac	...	(uncredited)
Robert Hébert	...	(uncredited)
Guy Henry	...	(uncredited)
Robert Le Béal	...	(uncredited)
Marie-Thérèse Moissel	...	(uncredited)
Piéral	...	Un nain (uncredited)
Alain Resnais	...	Extra (uncredited)
Madeleine Rousset	...	(uncredited)
Georges Sellier	...	(uncredited)
Simone Signoret	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Marcel Carné

Writing credits
Jacques Prévert		(writer) and
Pierre Laroche		(writer)

Produced by
André Paulvé	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Thiriet

Cinematography by
Roger Hubert

Film Editing by
Henri Rust

Production Design by
Georges Wakhévitch		(as Georges Wakevitch)

Art Direction by
Alexandre Trauner		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Léon Barsacq		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Georges Wakhévitch		(as Georges Wakevitch)

Production Management
Paul Hartwig	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pierre Sabas	....	assistant director
Bruno Tireux	....	assistant director
Michelangelo Antonioni	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jacques Lebreton	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Marc Fossard	....	camera operator

Music Department
Charles Münch	....	musical director
Joseph Kosma	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Marcel Carné	....	story editor

Production Companies

• Productions André Paulvé

Distributors

• DisCina (1942) (France) (theatrical)
• Superfilm Distributing Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (English subtitles)
• Large Door Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Devil's Envoys (International: English title)
Der Teufel gibt sich die Ehre (West Germany) [de]
Die Nacht mit dem Teufel (Germany) [de]
Die Satansboten (Austria) [de]
Ikuinen rakkaus (Finland) [fi]
L'amore e il diavolo (Italy) [it]
Los visitantes de la noche (Argentina) [es]
Nattens gäster (Sweden) [sv]
Os trovadores Malditos (Portugal) [pt]
Wieczorni goscie (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

120 min | USA:115 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 (f)

Filming Locations:

Franstudio, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France

Company:

Productions André Paulvé

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jacquot de Nantes (1991)

Once upon a time..

It's the only Carné-Prévert movie that takes place in another era,the Middle Ages.During the German occupation,it was an alibi:the Devil was meant to represent Hitler and the two lovers the Resistance.But for the people at the time,their hints at French plight were so disguised -or else,it would have been banned by the censorship-,they only saw the escapist movie which they did need.Over the years,the movie has lost some of its charms:after a brilliant introduction,the pace remains too slow and it's hard to believe that Alain Cuny and Marie Déa are eaten with desire.As always in Carné's movies,it's the supporting cast that walks out with the honors:Arletty is as splendid as ever in her androgynous beauty,and Jules Berry is ideally cast as the Devil.Though it remains inferior to "le jour se lève" and "les enfants du paradis" ,"les visiteurs du soir" is a curiosity for French movies buffs.People who like it should see "l'éternel retour",a collaboration between Jean Delannoy and Jean Cocteau.

NB :"Children of paradise " also takes place in another era ,the nineteenth century;sorry.