"Je t'attendrai" is a wonderful script written by Marcel Achard and Jacques Companeez, the story of a soldier in the end of WWI who escapes from his train stopped by a bomb to find back his love, in the village not far away, who hasn't given him news for too long time. He must be very quick to return to his train and thanks his sergeant for this leave (fantastic Aimos). This story happens to last exactly the time of the movie, a true race against the clock. Like in "High Noon".
Though it's a real time movie, it isn't filmed theatre, on the contrary. The atmospheric cinematography is a masterpiece, from the beginning, I thought of an Abel Gance movie, and the cinematographer is Robert Lefebvre, who worked with Gance on "Un Grand Amour de Beethoven". And there are some very dark scenes, close to film noir. In the thirties, some french films had already film noir touches.
The only detail that bothers me is the casting. OK for Jean-Pierre Aumont as the romantic lead, except he is absolutely not credible when confronted to the innkeeper (René Bergeron who really looks tougher). And Corinne Luchaire's character is so shy and fragile that I was suddenly puzzled when she transformed herself for a moment as a vulgar young woman. But these two surprising scenes are the only faults in this movie full of hope, the best one directed by Leonilde Moguy. Discover the restored version.
Though it's a real time movie, it isn't filmed theatre, on the contrary. The atmospheric cinematography is a masterpiece, from the beginning, I thought of an Abel Gance movie, and the cinematographer is Robert Lefebvre, who worked with Gance on "Un Grand Amour de Beethoven". And there are some very dark scenes, close to film noir. In the thirties, some french films had already film noir touches.
The only detail that bothers me is the casting. OK for Jean-Pierre Aumont as the romantic lead, except he is absolutely not credible when confronted to the innkeeper (René Bergeron who really looks tougher). And Corinne Luchaire's character is so shy and fragile that I was suddenly puzzled when she transformed herself for a moment as a vulgar young woman. But these two surprising scenes are the only faults in this movie full of hope, the best one directed by Leonilde Moguy. Discover the restored version.
