Mollenard (1938)
Directed by Robert Siodmak

Film Review

Towards the end of his successful and highly productive period in France, Robert Siodmak directed a number of films that presage the great film noir classics he would go on to make in Hollywood.  One of these is Mollenard , an atmospheric drama featuring two of the biggest names in French cinema at the time - Harry Baur and Albert Préjean.  Whilst the narrative crawls at a ponderous pace and lacks the intensity and panache of Siodmak's other work, it is a film that is beautifully shot, particularly the moody and distinctly noir sequences in a remarkable studio-recreation of 1930s Shanghai.  Justifying his reputation as one of the greatest French actors of his time, Harry Baur gives a performance that is both convincing and devastatingly poignant, and there are some memorable contributions from his distinguished co-stars, Gabrielle Dorziat and Albert Préjean.

Film Synopsis

Dissatisfied with his prim bourgeois wife, Captain Justin Mollenard is grateful for the opportunities that his career as a seafarer affords him for staying away from the home he has come to despise.  Presently, he is in the employ of a company that ships armaments to the Far East.  Suspected of selling arms in China on his own account, he is temporarily relieved of his duties and now finds himself grounded in Shanghai.  After their cargo vessel, Le Minotaure, is destroyed in a criminal attack, Mollenard and his crew are relieved of their duties and are soon on their way back home.

The disgraced captain receives a cold reception from his wife Mathilde, who cannot forgive him for turning his back on his family for so many years.  Mollenard's only desire is to get back to sea as quickly as he can, and finally his wish is granted by his employers, who offer him a new captaincy if he agrees to draft a formal letter of apology,  Mollenard is reluctant to admit he has done anything wrong but in the end he has to swallow his pride.  After a minor heart attack leaves him partly paralysed, Mollenard finds himself entirely at the mercy of his loathsome wife.  Now that his life has become intolerable, he contemplates killing himself...