Night at the Crossroads (French: La Nuit du carrefour) is a 1932 French crime film by Jean Renoir, based on the novel of the same title by Georges Simenon and starring Renoir's brother Pierre Renoir as Simenon's popular detective, Inspector Maigret.
The French director Jacques Becker, then apprentice to Renoir, worked as assistant director and production manager on the film.
Contents
Plot
The story concentrates on a gang of thieves who utilize a cross-road garage as the hideaway.
Cast
Pierre Renoir as Le commissaire Maigret
Winna Winifried as Else Anderson (as Winna Winfried)
Georges Koudria as Carl Anderson (as George Koudria)
Georges Térof as Lucas (as G. Terof)
Dignimont as Oscar
G.A. Martin as Granjean (as Martin)
Jean Gehret as Emile Michonnet (as Gehret)
Michel Duran as Jojo
Manuel Raaby as Guido (as Rabby)
Max Dalban as Le docteur (as Dalban)
Roger Gaillard as Le boucher (as Gaillard)
Boulicot as Un gendarme
Jean Mitry as Arsène
Jane Pierson as Mme Michonnet
Lucie Vallat as Michelle, la femme d'Oscar
Reputation and influence
Often cited as being Jean Renoir's least well-known sound film, Night at the Crossroads has nonetheless maintained a very strong critical reputation. In an article republished as part of André Bazin's book on Renoir, the French New Wave critic and filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard described it as being "Renoir's most mysterious film" and "the only great French detective movie--in fact, the greatest of all adventure movies."
At a symposium on the Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr held at Facets Multimedia on 16 September 2007, American film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum mentioned that Tarr's then-new feature, The Man from London (also based on a novel by Georges Simenon), was influenced by Night at the Crossroads.