Sortileges / The Bellman (1945)
The Bellman / Sortileges (1945)
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | PAL | 4:3 | 720x576 | 3800 kbps | 3.1Gb
Audio: French AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: English (custom)
01:40:00 | France | Horror, Crime, Drama
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | PAL | 4:3 | 720x576 | 3800 kbps | 3.1Gb
Audio: French AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: English (custom)
01:40:00 | France | Horror, Crime, Drama
The main players are Lucien Coedel, the bellman who lives alone in the snowy rural setting of the story. Visiting him at the outset is Fabre (Fernand Ledoux), who is a bit addled and has a lovely daughter on the wispy and frail side, Catherine (Renee Faure), whom Coedel plots to have for himself. She is competing for the love of Pierre (Roger Pigaut) against a well-off older woman, Marthe (Madeleine Robinson), the most intense actor in the cast.
The story begins with Coedel's murder (with a stone) of a horse trader, which sets free a black stallion that roams through the snow and the village terrifying the people as it gallops. The bellman loves to frighten the superstitious people with rituals and spells and goad them. He busily casts suspicion on Fabre by giving him some of the horse trader's gold
Sortileges / The Bellman (1945)
Sortileges / The Bellman (1945)
Director: Christian-Jaque
Cast: Lucien Coedel, Fernand Ledoux, Renee Faure, Madeleine Robinson, Roger Pigaut, Georges Tourreil, Pierre Labry, Jacques Butin, Leonce Corne, Leon Larive, Michel Piccoli, Marcel Peres, Sinoel
"Sortileges" is a crime melodrama, not a horror story. It is actually a film noir in an unusual setting and told with terrific melodramatic flair and unsettling memorable images.
The main players are Lucien Coedel, the bellman who lives alone in the snowy rural setting of the story. Visiting him at the outset is Fabret (Fernand Ledoux), who is a bit addled and has a lovely daughter on the wispy and frail side, Catherine (Renee Faure), whom Coedel plots to have for himself. She is competing for the love of Pierre (Roger Pigaut) against a well-off older woman, Marthe (Madeleine Robinson), the most intense actor in the cast. The story begins with Coedel's murder (with a stone) of a horse trader, which sets free a black stallion that roams through the snow and the village terrifying the people as it gallops. The bellman loves to frighten the superstitious people with rituals and spells and goad them. He busily casts suspicion on Fabret by giving him some of the horse trader's gold.
Many of the scenes are impressive, with black-clothed figures seen against the snow. There is a village festival dance that is beautifully staged and intertwined with the plot.
Really a marvelous film.
~ msroz
IMDb
Sortileges / The Bellman (1945)
Sortileges / The Bellman (1945)
