Quai des Orfevres

Released Mar 5, 1948

1 hr. 50 min.

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

100%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair) sings in a music hall in postwar Paris, accompanied by her husband, Maurice Martineau (Bernard Blier), on piano. When Martineau notices his wife flirting with an older businessman named Georges Brignon, he follows her to Brignon's house with the intent to kill him. At the house, Brignon is found murdered -- but by someone else. Inspector Antoine (Louis Jouvet) conducts an investigation that implicates Martineau, whose planned alibi comes loose.

Read More

Read Less

Critics Consensus

Henri-Georges Clouzot's engrossing noir explores the troubles of post-war France and the line dividing social struggle and criminality.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Member

A fascinating French Film Noir. Every element of the film is meticulously produced. The last few minutes disappointed a bit, but did not harm my appreciation for this superb work of art.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Murty C

A gem of a movie! And it didn't bother me that I had to read the subtitles to understand the dialogues; anyway, I also love the sound of French so it was quite pleasant in terms of watching-a-foreign-movie experience. I also happened to watch it on Turner Classic Movies and benefited from a great intro by Eddie Muller. I wouldn't call it a "noir" film, though, at least not in the Hollywood sense - it is far superior to that category. It can be categorized in many ways, including police procedural drama and the many types of love (marital, unrequited, or parent/child). This movie has so many dimensions to it and is so satisfying in that it is a detective story set in regular people's lives with the many facets of each person's life getting entangled in a vast net brilliantly directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. And the actors are equally brilliant: Suzy Delair and Bernard Blier as the artistic couple suspicious of the other because they madly love each other, Louis Jouvet as Inspector Antoine (a French Detective Columbo) and Simone Renant as the unrequited lover. What I especially love about the movie is it weaves a broad tapestry of Parisian life while simultaneously showing us its texture, be it the entertainment industry, police procedures, private lives of police, photographers, and business tycoons - Clouzot masterfully weaves it all together. And makes us realize that detectives too have private lives and loves.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Between 2.5 and 3 stars. Photography and actors are OK, it is well directed. But the script is not enought to be a good film noir.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

paul d

Very well done, complex film noir that reveals the gritty side of a poor, post-war Paris and develops each character deeply. Highly recommended.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

laurent b

Louis Jouvet plays one of his most interesting and touching character, in this brillant thriller, once again so well-written and acted. The black & white is beautiful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Even for a more commercial effort, Clouzot lends his unique style and voice to a well-written and exquisitely-directed crime story that has great touches of humor and some very delightful performances by Delair and Jouvet (who is hilarious and gets the best lines).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Director

Louis Jouvet

L'inspecteur adjoint Antoine

Bernard Blier

Maurice Martineau

Suzy Delair

Marguerite Chauffournier Martineau, aka Jenny Lamour

Pierre Larquey

Emile Lafour

Simone Renant

Dora Monier

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

100%

92%

Panic

88%

83%

The Woman in the Window

96%

91%

The Big Sleep

93%

92%

Out of the Past

96%

91%

Stray Dog

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Clouzot is able to reveal a complex and interactive working-class world in which cops and criminals are sometimes difficult to tell apart.

Apr 20, 2009

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Direction by Henri-Georges Clouzot takes full advantage of every possible opportunity to bring out character and manages to keep the tempo at a fast clip all the time.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Time Out

Jouvet's Maigret-esque cop gets all the best lines, and gives the film its human, tragic focus.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[Henri-Georges] Clouzot’s mercenary world of lies, greed, jealousy, and corruption offers a bleak portrait of postwar France.

Nov 18, 2023

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

An intriguing film about jealousy, suspicion and police traps. I expected no less from Clouzot. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Apr 22, 2021

Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

The exquisite noir lighting and location work suggest a kind of realism, which Clouzot constantly subverts with near-deranged expressionist elements. To watch Blier staggering down an alley in this film is to recognize the limits of color film.

Rated: 10/10

Jun 28, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair) sings in a music hall in postwar Paris, accompanied by her husband, Maurice Martineau (Bernard Blier), on piano. When Martineau notices his wife flirting with an older businessman named Georges Brignon, he follows her to Brignon's house with the intent to kill him. At the house, Brignon is found murdered -- but by someone else. Inspector Antoine (Louis Jouvet) conducts an investigation that implicates Martineau, whose planned alibi comes loose.

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Screenwriter: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Ferry
Distributor: Rialto Pictures
Production Co: Majestic Film
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 5, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.6K