Série Noire

Franck Poupart (Patrick Dewaere) is an alienated door-to door salesman, run down by his wife at home and his boss at work. When an old lady offers to prostitute her disenchanted niece Mona (Marie Trintignant) in exchange for new clothes, Franck is introduced to the love of his life and the opportunity for a brand new start; Mona reveals that her aunt has a large sum of money hidden away and lures Frank into criminal descent.

Alain Corneau, renowned for his mastery of the film policier (crime thriller genre) through such works as Police Python 357, La Menace and Le Cousin, injects elements of social drama and detailed character study to present an all-encompassing film that will not leave the viewer wanting. Gripping, intelligent and disturbing, Série noire is a masterpiece, revered by audiences and critics alike.

The dull cinematography of industrial east Paris and down-and-out characters infuse Corneau’s film with an authenticity that is offset by surrealist humour and a pulsating plot-line.

Corneau provides a masterclass in the direction of actors here, assembling some of the greatest on-screen performers and extracting superior performances from the likes of Marie Trintignant, Miriam Boyer and Bernard Blier, which remain in the mind of the discerning French spectator as a benchmark of top-drawer acting to be emulated ever since.

If you had to choose a performance representative of the quality and popularity of 70s French cinema, Patrick Dewaere’s electrifying turn as Poupart stands up there with the best. Despite his short acting career, as a result of his tragic suicide at age of 35, Dewaere’s stamp on French cinema was so pivotal that an illustrious male acting award is given in his honour each year, akin to the Romy Schneider award for female actresses (another striking screen talent cut short by a tragic end).

Startling proof of cinema’s ability both to entertain and unsettle the viewer, Série noire is also a work of cultural and cinematic importance not to be missed. Cinémoi is proud to bring this sublime film to the wider audience it deserves.