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Revision as of 21:46, 17 August 2017 by Clifford Mill (talk | contribs) (Expanded lead and added plot)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1946 French film| Martin Roumagnac | |
|---|---|
 Original French film poster | |
| Directed by | Georges Lacombe |
| Written by | Georges Lacombe Pierre Véry Pierre-René Wolf (novel) |
| Produced by | Marc Le Pelletier |
| Starring | Jean Gabin Marlene Dietrich Marcel Herrand Daniel Gélin |
| Distributed by | Lopert Film Corporation |
| Release dates | 18 December 1946 (France) 3 September 1948 (U.S.) |
| Running time | 115 min |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 2,491,000 admissions (France) |
Martin Roumagnac (also known as The Room Upstairs) is a 1946 French crime film directed by Georges Lacombe. It tells the story of a builder in a small town who falls for a glamorous but treacherous femme fatale, with tragic results for both. It is notable as the only occasion in which the two major stars Jean Gabin and Marlene Dietrich, lovers in real life, appeared together on screen.
Plot
In a little country town, Martin Roumagnac is a building contractor who is liked by the ordinary people. He lives in a shack with his sister while he builds a villa on a plot he has bought. Into town with her uncle comes Blanche Ferrand, an exotic widow who married the owner of the seed and grain shop shortly before his death. Her target for next husband is Laubry, a retired diplomat with a dying wife, and while waiting she has an occasional lover. She also has to fend off a besotted schoolteacher. One evening, feeling the need for some excitement, she goes to a boxing match and sits next to the ebullient Martin. Soon the two are lovers, and when Martin finishes his villa he gives it to her (thereby losing its capital value and depressing his creditworthiness).
Though passionate in private, she finds his lack of refinement embarrassing in public: he drinks only Pernod and chain-smokes Gauloises. His business suffers from his obsession and he is running out of cash. When Laubry's wife dies, Blanche looks forward to a life of ease and sophistication, but Laubry insists she must first break with Martin. He will not hear of it and in rage strangles her. Going home in shock, his sister promises him an alibi and enlists the postman as a witness. His trial is going badly for him until under questioning Blanche's uncle reveals that from her teens she was little more than a whore. The jury acquit him unanimously and he goes home to a party organised by his sister, whose perjury was believed. In the shadows is the jilted teacher, who gets his revenge by putting two shots into Martin.
References
- "Martin Roumagnac". Box Office Story.
External links
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