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.
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