Remorques

Jean Gremillon’s classic is a doomed love story, which boasts a legendary team of cast and crew.
Renewing their collaboration following Marcel Carné’s Le Quai des brumes, Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan play the star-crossed lovers André and Catherine, who meet when he, the captain of a tug boat, comes to the rescue of her stricken ship.  They fall in love instantly.  However, they are both married and must overcome huge obstacles if their love is to flourish.

Gremillon’s film is a sight to behold.  The beauty and power of the images is captured by the lush photography of Armand Thirard, who, like Gremillon, was a pivotal figure in the golden age of French cinema having shot films for fellow filmmaking giants such as Julien Duvivier, Henri-Georges Clouzot and René Clair.  For the screenplay, Gremillon recruited the influential poet and script-writer Jacques Prévert (Le Crime de Monsieur Lange, Les Enfants du paradis).

A flawless tale of tragedy, Remorques is a must for all those interested in the history of cinema.