Description

Remembered primarily for directing the classic crime drama Pe´pe´ le moko, Julien Duvivier was one of the finest filmmakers working in France in the 1930s. Thanks to a formidable innate understanding of the cinematic medium, Duvivier made the transition from silents to talkies with ease, marrying his expressive camera work to a strikingly inventive use of sound with a singular dexterity. His deeply shadowed, fatalistic early sound films David Golder and La te^te d’un homme anticipate the poetic realist style that would come to define the decade in French cinema and, together with the small-town family drama Poil de Carotte and the swooning tale of love and illusion Un carnet de bal, showcase his stunning versatility. These four films—all featuring the great stage and screen actor Harry Baur—are collected here, each evidence of an immense and often overlooked cinematic talent.

Collection Includes

David Golder
Directed with visual panache, this grim yet arresting tale showcases Duvivier’s preternatural cinematic maturity during a transitional phase for the French film industry.

Poil de carotte
Julien Duvivier remade his own silent adaptation of a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century novella and play for the sound era, resulting in one of his most beloved films.

La tête d’un homme
This meticulously crafted adaptation stars Harry Baur as novelist Georges Simenon’s indelible creation Inspector Maigret, investigating the odd circumstances surrounding the killing of a wealthy American woman in Paris.

Un carnet de bal
A rich widow, nostalgic for the lavish parties of her youth, embarks on a journey to reconnect with the many suitors who once courted her.