The Murderer Is Afraid at Night

The Murderer is Afraid at Night (French: L'assassin a peur la nuit) is a 1942 French crime drama film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Mireille Balin, Jean Chevrier and Louise Carletti. A film noir[1] it was shot at the Victorine Studios in Nice in Vichy-controlled France. The film's sets were designed by the art director Georges Wakhévitch. It may have also acted as an allegory for Occupied France to look forward to a future when it is free after its Liberation.[2]

The Murderer is Afraid at Night
Directed byJean Delannoy
Written byJean Delannoy
Roger Vitrac
Based onThe Murderer is Afraid at Night by Pierre Véry
Produced byWilfrid Baumgartner
André Paulvé
StarringMireille Balin
Jean Chevrier
Louise Carletti
CinematographyPaul Cotteret
Edited byLouisette Hautecoeur
Music byGeorges Auric
Production
company
Distributed byDiscina
Release date
  • 2 September 1942 (1942-09-02)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

Synopsis

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In the South of France Olivier a professional burglar is on the run after a job goes wrong. He takes shelter in the countryside after befriending a quarry worker and has a romantic encounter with his sister Monique. However his former lover the vampish Lola, who he has robbed to support her materialistic demands, tracks him down and threatens to shoot him. He ultimately surrenders to the police in the knowledge that once he has served a spell in prison he can look forward to a future with Monique in which he is truly free.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ Walker-Morrison p.218
  2. ^ Walker-Morrison p.34-35

Bibliography

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  • Walker-Morrison, Deborah. Classic French Noir: Gender and the Cinema of Fatal Desire. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.
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