Nitchevo
1936 · France
- Director
- Jacques de Baroncelli
- Screenplay
- Jacques de Baroncelli
- Music
- Arthur Honegger
Cast
What it is about
A 1936 French drama set aboard a submarine, following the tension a crew faces when it finds itself in a dire situation. The story centres on Commander Robert Cartier, played by Harry Baur, and on the relationships among the men in a confined space where every decision carries weight. The plot is best approached without knowing more than this, since the film builds steadily on mounting pressure.
How it was made
Jacques de Baroncelli directed the film and wrote the screenplay. It is a remake of Nitchevo, the 1926 silent film with the same title. Arthur Honegger composed the score, and the sets were designed by Serge Piménoff and Georges Wakhévitch. The cast includes Harry Baur, Marcelle Chantal, George Rigaud and Ivan Mozzhukhin, alongside a broad group of character actors.
Reception and legacy
Graham Greene reviewed it for Night and Day in 1937 with mild disappointment. He faulted the story as weak and very obscure, and found the presentation formulaic. Still, he thought the film was worth seeing for its final situation aboard a sunken submarine and for Harry Baur's performance.
Trivia
A remake
It is a new version of Nitchevo, the 1926 silent film that carried the same title.
Two set designers
The sets were the work of Serge Piménoff and Georges Wakhévitch, both established production designers.
More films by Jacques de Baroncelli
The Woman and the Puppet
The Man from NigerOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.