Georges Lacombe

Geoges Lacombe (b. 1902) ,chiefly when he collaborated with Clouzot or Pierre Very ,gave estimable works. Too much of his filmography is simply forgettable ,but some works ,notably "Le Pays Sans Etoiles " and "Le Dernier Des Six" can be considered classics.

He began with a short,"La zone"( 1928) which created a sensation and was labeled "Avant-Garde":it depicted the daily life of the rag-men,on a narrow strip of land between Paris and its outskirts.

His first talkie ,"Boule De Gomme" (1931,medium-length feat. )which introduced an insufferable child actor ,is mainly an interesting account of the work in a French studio of the era.

His first valuable work was a good whodunit "Café De Paris" (1938,reportedly with Yves Mirande ,but according to Lacombe ,he never set a toe on the set),followed by "Derrière La Façade " a less successful attempt at a detective film : it seemed that all the big names of the era were waiting for being in the front of the stage and eager to put on their usual act.

His heyday began in 1939 with "Les Musiciens Du Ciel " ,a lovely melodrama guaranteed to send the impressionable tearing through an entire box of tissues.

"Elles Etaient Douze Femmes " (1940) showed women with good intentions (sending parcels to soldiers who had none)but gossips and dirty tricks marred their charity organization.

"Le Dernier Des Six" (1941) was arguably his finest thriller : the screenplay was written by Henri-Georges Clouzot ,based on a novel by Steeman featuring sleuth Monsieur Wens (Pierre Fresnay) whom Clouzot would use again in his classic "L'Assassin Habite Au 21". "Montmartre Sur Seine " was a vehicle for Edith Piaf ,and its script was sub-par. "Le Journal Tombe A Cinq Heures" was woman's lib before its time : a young journalist trying to make her way through a then male-dominated job. "Monsieur La Souris" was another whodunit,but a weak one,saved by tramp Raimu who played the occasional detective. His masterpiece dovetailed with the end of the war : "Le Pays Sans Etoiles" , a fantasy movie,blended present with past , created an eerie atmosphere worthy of Jacques Tourneur and added a strange Déjà vu feeling: masterfully played by Pierre Brasseur and Gerard Philippe, on a first-class screenplay by Pierre Very,this film should be more known.

"Martin Roumagnac "(1946) was remembered for his actors ,Gabin and Dietrich ,who would not team up again afterward :although the German star was miscast ,it did the trick. Critics generally agree that it was the end of his more fruitful period. "Les Condamnés " was another trite melodrama saved by Pierre Fresnay. Both "Prelude A La Gloire " and "L'Appel Du Destin" featured child prodigy Roberto Benzi ,but were not the musician's biographies:the former was interesting ,the latter nothing but a weepie. "La Nuit Est Mon Royaume" might have surprised Gabin's fans :he was cast as a man gone blind who tried to readjust to his new life and managed quite well in this cast against type character.

His sketch of "Les 7 Péchés Capitaux" (1952) featured an excellent final unexpected twist and a good sense of mystery (already present in "Le Pays Sans Etoiles" and "Le Dernier Des Six" ). "Leur Dernière Nuit " recalled the Pre-war movies (the ending imitating that of "Quai Des Brumes" ) and was finally a disappointment ,in spite of Gabin and Madeleine Robinson.

"La Lumière D'En Face" (1955) revealed Brigitte Bardot's sensuality and erotic potential before Vadim ,but was marred by a ridiculous happy end. "Cargaison Blanche " which the director disowned pitted a female journalist against white slave trade ,it was woman's lib before its time again.

He called it quits after 1957 and enjoyed a long retirement. (d.