Alone in the Night (1945 film)

Alone in the Night (French: Seul dans la nuit) is a 1945 French crime film directed by Christian Stengel, and starring Bernard Blier, Sophie Desmarets and Jacques Pills.

Alone in the Night
Directed by	Christian Stengel
Written by	Yves Boisyvon Jacqueline Boisyvon Christian Stengel Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon
Produced by	Raymond Borderie Adrien Remaugé
Starring	Bernard Blier Sophie Desmarets Jacques Pills
Cinematography	Christian Matras
Edited by	Claude Ibéria
Music by	Francis Lopez Louiguy Jean Solar
Color process	Black and white
Production company	Général Films
Distributed by	Pathé Consortium Cinéma
Release date	21 November 1945 (1945-11-21)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Synopsis

A series of murders are being perpetrated in Paris. Strangely, during each of the crimes, a signature song of a famous popular singer is heard, at first by an eccentric old man. The police inspector on his first case follows several leads around the entourage of the singer, and the daughter of a police commissioner through a radio show draws the chase through a nocturnal Paris, to a disused theatre where the assassin has lured his final victim.

Cast

• Bernard Blier as L'inspecteur Robert Pascal
• Sophie Desmarets as Thérèse Planquine, daughter of the commissaire
• Jacques Pills as Marny, alias : Jacques Sartory, a popular singer
• Jean Davy as Alain Dalbrey, Sartory's secretary
• Louis Salou as Mr Tolu, an eccentric old man
• Jacques Morel as Raymond Melor, the impersonator
• Marcel André as Police commissaire Planquine
• Jean Wall as Stéphane Marcheau, pianist and composer
• Robert Le Fort as Inspecteur Legal
• Annette Poivre as Mireille, short-hand typist
• Ginette Baudin as Liliane Roy, friend of Sartory
• André Wasley as Inspecteur Bernard
• Jacques Dynam as Hunter
• Nathalie Nattier as Louise Chabot, one of the victims
• Sylvaine Claudel as apprentice
• Ariane Muratore as Madame Lalorgue
• Odette Barancey as Odette, the Planquines's servant
• Luce Fabiole as Madame Henry
• Emile Riandreys as Deval, journalist
• Jacques Hélian and his orchestra
• Mercédès Brare
• Denise Benoît
• Léonce Corne

Background

The person originally chosen for the role of Jacques Sartory was André Claveau, but as he was still under a cloud due to his activities during the Occupation, the producers moved on to Jacques Jansen, known for opera and operetta, before finally casting Jacques Pills.^[1]

The film recorded admissions in France of 2,844,119.^[2] It was shot at the Joinville Studios in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Gys.

Bibliography

• Raymond Chirat : Catalogue des films français de long métrage. Films de fiction 1940-1950 (Editions Imprimerie Saint-Paul, S.A., Luxembourg 1981), N°684.

External links

• Alone in the Night at IMDb
• Affiche at the Unifrance Films website