Don't Touch the Loot (Touchez pas au grisbi) (1954)

Jean Gabin makes his triumphal return to the screen as the quintessential tough guy, but now an aged man (still with great hair) he projects a different kidn of confidence. He is a jaded criminal, uninterested in the luxuries of life. He exudes power and control over his surroundings and commands respect. Riton, his partner in crime and in life, serves as a foil to Gabin's Max. Their relationship resembles that of an old married couple, highlighted in a scene in which the pair are hiding out in Max's spare apartment. The gangster Max is well prepared with an extra toothbrush, pajamas, linens and even a fridge stocked with champagne for a midnight snack of pate. These French gangsters are quite distinct from the American gangsters that we are used to. This film really popularized the gangster genre. The movie's depiction of women is not entirely unusual, but it is very aesthetically displeasing. The few women in this film are mere objects for hte men. It is so blatant that it is distracting and detracts from the film. Max slaps two women across the face, recalling his assertive slapping hand from Port of Shadows.

Port of Shadows (Le Quai des brumes) (1938)

Marcel Carne made a very sad movie that epitomizes French cinema in the 1930s.  This movie boldly portrays La Havre for what it was in the foggy and gloomy interwar period.  It does not shy away from the depressing atmosphere of the time.  But there is a different kind of sadness that pervades through the film as well.  For example, the scene inside Panama's bar is poetically sad.  The artist really dampens the mood talking about suicide (romantic fatalism), but he speaks in beautiful language in rhythm.   In the background, Panama strums his guitar playing a melancholy tune.  This film is a prime example of the poetic realism style.

Jean Gabin plays the quintessential tough guy with the cigarette sticking out the corner of his mouth.  He carries himself and stands up to the gangsters and anyone who threatens him.  Apparently this is the type of character that Gabin was known to play in all of his films.  And yet he also has a soft spot.  In the opening scene of the film, he saves a dog from an oncoming vehicle. This dog becomes his shadow for the duration of the film.   I am conflicted about the tragic ending which comes very suddenly but perhaps it is only in keeping with the sadness of the time.