← Back to Reviews
in
La Bete Humaine (The Human Beast), 1938
Lantier (Jean Gabin) is a train engineer who suffers severe mood swings and violent spells, especially badly when he drinks. Lantier crosses paths with a woman named Severine (Simone Simon) who has just helped her husband (Fernand Ledoux) kill her lover. A spark between Lantier and Severine at first works to her advantage, but their relationship seems clearly headed for tragedy.
I really loved some of the stark and stunning images in this film, a work whose visuals made the strongest impression on me. There's a real range of visual strategies on display here, everything from framing a sequence under a passing train to having a character's face suddenly illuminated with a spotlight. It's a film full of characters with strong passions and the visual style is a perfect match for their dramatic encounters.
On a character level, the film is an exploration of the darkest side of passion and desire. In a lot of the staging of sequences with Lantier, the movie steps right up against sequences from werewolf or vampire films. The "spells" of violence from Lantier are truly frightening, especially because they are provoked by either positive or negative feelings. Before he even meets Severine, Lantier goes from kissing a former flame to choking her beside a set of train tracks. The murder is driven by Severine's husband's jealousy.
One of my favorite sequences in the film is one between Severine and Lantier. In bed together (cuddling, because 1930s), Severine recounts a physical attack she suffered at the hands of her husband, concluding that she doesn't want a lover. She wants a friend. This is a woman who has seen the ugly side of "passion" and she wants out. Unfortunately, neither she nor Lantier is able to safely extricate themselves from a doomed relationship.
One aspect that I did question a bit was the sequence of events immediately following the murder. It was really unclear to me whether Lantier was aware that an innocent man was put on the hook for the murder in its immediate aftermath. I was already grappling a bit with sympathy for his character, and this really didn't help.
Overall it was a solid watch with some really excellent visual moments.
La Bete Humaine (The Human Beast), 1938
Lantier (Jean Gabin) is a train engineer who suffers severe mood swings and violent spells, especially badly when he drinks. Lantier crosses paths with a woman named Severine (Simone Simon) who has just helped her husband (Fernand Ledoux) kill her lover. A spark between Lantier and Severine at first works to her advantage, but their relationship seems clearly headed for tragedy.
I really loved some of the stark and stunning images in this film, a work whose visuals made the strongest impression on me. There's a real range of visual strategies on display here, everything from framing a sequence under a passing train to having a character's face suddenly illuminated with a spotlight. It's a film full of characters with strong passions and the visual style is a perfect match for their dramatic encounters.
On a character level, the film is an exploration of the darkest side of passion and desire. In a lot of the staging of sequences with Lantier, the movie steps right up against sequences from werewolf or vampire films. The "spells" of violence from Lantier are truly frightening, especially because they are provoked by either positive or negative feelings. Before he even meets Severine, Lantier goes from kissing a former flame to choking her beside a set of train tracks. The murder is driven by Severine's husband's jealousy.
One of my favorite sequences in the film is one between Severine and Lantier. In bed together (cuddling, because 1930s), Severine recounts a physical attack she suffered at the hands of her husband, concluding that she doesn't want a lover. She wants a friend. This is a woman who has seen the ugly side of "passion" and she wants out. Unfortunately, neither she nor Lantier is able to safely extricate themselves from a doomed relationship.
One aspect that I did question a bit was the sequence of events immediately following the murder. It was really unclear to me whether Lantier was aware that an innocent man was put on the hook for the murder in its immediate aftermath. I was already grappling a bit with sympathy for his character, and this really didn't help.
Overall it was a solid watch with some really excellent visual moments.