Dernière heure, édition spéciale (1949)
Directed by Maurice de Canonge

Film Review

A mischievous but surprisingly dark satire on the dubious practices of sensation-seeking journalists circa 1949 (not that things have changed much since), Dernière heure, édition spéciale is an early example of the noir-tinted comedy-thriller that would become massively popular in the 1960s.  The distance between this film and Le Monocle noir (1961) is not great, particularly as they both feature an impeccable Paul Meurisse in the leading role.  Here, Meurisse plays an over-conscientious journalist who, to make a name for himself, decides to 'sex up' a seemingly banal death and only ends up making himself appear a murderer.  It's a ludicrously far-fetched scenario but the fact that it is played more for laughs than as a straight crime drama makes its multiple plot contortions just about digestible.

The film was directed by Maurice de Canonge, whose previous work includes an impressive mine-based melodrama Grisou (1938) and the phenomenally successful spy thriller Mission spéciale (1946). For the most part, de Canonge's output as a director is fairly undistinguished, the unimaginative musical compendium Boum sur Paris (1954) being more typical of his oeuvre. Dernière heure, édition spéciale would likewise have been a pretty forgettable film were it not for the distinguished cast that are on hand to rescue it.

Odette Joyeux is an unlikely accomplice to Paul Meurisse's attempts to fabricate a news story but her presence is greatly appreciated as the only likeable female in the male-dominated cast.  The less well-known Albert Dinan makes an affective police inspector (you can imagine him as a possible Maigret), an effective dramatic counterpoint to Meurisse's more overtly comedic characterisation.  Both at the start of their long and illustrious acting careers, Michel Galabru and Jean Carmet make their presence felt, despite their fleeting appearance.  Unevenly paced and less funny than it might have been, Dernière Heure, Edition Spéciale doesn't quite qualify as a classic but it's still an enjoyably tongue-in-cheek send up of one of the least honourable professions.  If the film were made today, though, the authors would probably have to change the ending...

Film Synopsis

Dominique Coche is an ambitious young journalist who edits a column on the newspaper Le Cri du monde.  When a world famous pianist, Emmanuel Costa, is found dead in his bath, Dominique sees an opportunity to advance his career and boost his paper's circulation.  By posing as a hotel manager and planting evidence in the dead man's room, he sets out to convince the world that Costa was murdered, even though the police have concluded he died from natural causes.  Dominique's gambit pays off, but things take an unexpected turn when, having performed an autopsy, the police reveal that Costa was indeed murdered, in fact poisoned.  To cover his tracks, Dominique stages the killer's suicide, but only succeeds in incriminating himself further.  Before he knows it, he is in the dock, being tried for the pianist's murder!