DramaAdventureThriller

Manon

Port of Marseille, France, recently liberated from the German yoke. Caught as stowaways aboard a ship, Manon, a young woman who was accused of collaborating with the Nazis, and Robert, a freedom fighter who saved her from reprisals, tell the captain about the many challenges they have had to face in order to survive.

Release Date : 1949-03-09

Language :ArabicEnglishFrenchHebrew

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Alcina

Production Country : France

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Léon Lescaut

Original Name : Serge Reggiani

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robert Dégrieux

Original Name : Michel Auclair

Gender : Male

Character Name : Manon Lescaut

Original Name : Cécile Aubry

Gender : Female

Character Name : Smuggler

Original Name : Andrex

Gender : Male

Character Name : M. Paul

Original Name : Raymond Souplex

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lt. Besnard

Original Name : André Valmy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ship Captain

Original Name : Henri Vilbert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gossipy Woman

Original Name : Héléna Manson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Isé

Original Name : Simone Valère

Gender : Female

Character Name : Saleswoman

Original Name : Gabrielle Dorziat

Gender : Female

Character Name : Juliette

Original Name : Dora Doll

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mme. Agnès

Original Name : Gabrielle Fontan

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Wanda Ottoni

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Rosy Varte

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Edmond Ardisson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second

Original Name : Michel Bouquet

Gender : Male

Character Name : Headwaiter

Original Name : Robert Dalban

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hotel Manager

Original Name : Jean Hébey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doorman

Original Name : Jean Témerson

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Barge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Gentleman (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Camus

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Marius David

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Joé Davray

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Hubert de Lapparent

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boxer (uncredited)

Original Name : Jean Despeaux

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Max Doria

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sailor (uncredited)

Original Name : Jacques Dynam

Gender : Male

Character Name : Waiter (uncredited)

Original Name : Max Elloy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sailor (uncredited)

Original Name : Georges Fabre

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Fretel

Gender : Male

Character Name : American Officer (uncredited)

Original Name : Daniel Ivernel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Architect (uncredited)

Original Name : François Joux

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Jean Lagache

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Elisa Lamotte

Gender : Female

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Liliane Maigné

Gender : Male

Character Name : Helmsman (uncredited)

Original Name : Frédéric Mariotti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Traveler (uncredited)

Original Name : Franck Maurice

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mother on the train (uncredited)

Original Name : Geneviève Morel

Gender : Female

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Henri Niel

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Raphaël Patorni

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Perrette Souplex

Gender : Female

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Victor Tabournot

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Jean-Marc Tennberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Pierre Trabaud

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Man (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Vissières

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Dégrieux (uncredited)

Original Name : Louis Vonelly

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

I need fun and sparkle - I hate poverty! Manon is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Clouzot co-adapts the screenplay with Jean Ferry from the novel "Manon Lescaut" written by Abbe Prevost. It stars Serge Reggiani, Michel Auclair, Cécile Aubry, Andrex and Raymond Souplex. Music is by Paul Misraki and cinematography by Armand Thirard. Clouzot, still smarting from the hysterical fall out from his brilliant "Le Corbeau", realigns the Prevost novel to post war France right after the liberation from Nazi occupancy. With his muse set alight, Clouzot set about putting on film the dark venality of the human condition, to show that post war France was hardly a joyous new world. Right here with "Manon" he lets rip, thrusting to the forefront black market racketeers and prostitution, people who inhabit a morally corrupt city in serious decay. The central narrative concerns Robert Dégrieux (Auclair a splendid dope) and Manon Lescaut (Aubry cunningly adorable), where the former quickly falls in love with the latter and finds himself spun into a vortex of mistrust and misjudgements, becoming more compulsive and foolish by the day. The pursuit of a dream life by both Robert and Manon, runs concurrently with that of the Jewish people attempting to reach Israel, it is here where Clouzot is building towards a quite outstanding last quarter of film. As the pic pulses away with film noir character beats, these are matched by the visual astuteness of the director and his cinematographer, who use high contrasts and canted angles for narrative embracement. A number of striking sequences grab the attention, be it the portentous meeting of Robert and Manon in the war torn ruins of a church (hello Christ imagery), or a mass trek through the desert beneath ominously low night time clouds, the makers ensure the mood is constantly foreboding. Superbly performed by the cast, "Manon" is further evidence of what a true great of cinema Clouzot was. 9/10