{"id":77808,"date":"2021-10-28T11:22:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T18:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=77808"},"modified":"2022-11-25T12:13:09","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T19:13:09","slug":"bete-humaine-la-1938","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=77808","title":{"rendered":"Bete Humaine, La (1938)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;If my husband were out of the way, we could put our troubles behind us.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster-205x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-77809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster-205x300.png 205w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster-700x1024.png 700w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster-88x128.png 88w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster-185x270.png 185w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Poster.png 765w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a stationmaster (Fernand Ledoux) kills the former lover (Jacques Berlioz) of his wife (Simone Simon) in a jealous rage, a train conductor (Jean Gabin) accidentally becomes involved in their cover-up and soon falls in love with Simon.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Domestic Abuse<\/li>\n<li>Femmes Fatales<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<li>Homicidal Spouses<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Jean Gabin Films<\/li>\n<li>Jean Renoir Films<\/li>\n<li>Plot to Murder<\/li>\n<li>Simone Simon Films<\/li>\n<li>Trains and Subways<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, &#8220;Jean Gabin, France&#8217;s top romantic idol prior to WWII, had one of his best roles in Jean Renoir&#8217;s updating of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/La_B%C3%AAte_humaine\">Emile Zola&#8217;s novel<\/a>,&#8221; playing a &#8220;world-weary&#8230; train engineer who is tormented by debilitating headaches that drive him toward violence.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Violence.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Violence.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77820\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Violence.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Violence-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Violence-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Violence-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary notes that this &#8220;fatalistic, moodily photographed murder drama undoubtedly influenced American <em>film noir<\/em>, thematically and visually&#8221; &#8212; though interestingly, Simon&#8217;s character is presented from the beginning as the sympathetic victim of not only an abusive husband but a traumatic past, and her willingness to manipulate Gabin only gradually emerges. With that said, Peary argues that &#8220;the way <em>femme fatale<\/em> Simon uses sex to take control of Gabin &#8212; to make him act stupidly so he&#8217;ll fall into a trap &#8212; reminds [him] of how Kathleen Turner handles William Hurt in <em>Body Heat<\/em>,&#8221; and that&#8217;s one possible way to interpret things here. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Simon.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Simon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Simon.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Simon-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Simon-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Simon-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regardless, we&#8217;re kept genuinely in suspense throughout, wondering what moves each individual will make next given that none of them &#8212; Gabin, Simon, or Ledoux &#8212; is predictable. Renoir makes excellent use of real-life railroad locales, and the investment he made in encouraging Gabin to learn how to actually conduct a train shows up in the film&#8217;s overall air of authenticity: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Conductor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Conductor.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Conductor.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Conductor-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Conductor-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Gabin-Conductor-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Watch for Renoir himself in a cameo role as the unfortunate passenger who ends up wrongfully taking the blame for Berlioz&#8217;s death: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Renoir-Cameo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Renoir-Cameo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Renoir-Cameo.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Renoir-Cameo-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Renoir-Cameo-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Renoir-Cameo-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Remade by Fritz Lang in 1954 as <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=73589\"><em>Human Desire<\/em><\/a>, which is equally worthy viewing. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jean Gabin as Jacques<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humain-Gabin-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humain-Gabin-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77817\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humain-Gabin-Cinematography.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humain-Gabin-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humain-Gabin-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humain-Gabin-Cinematography-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Simone Simon as Severine<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Simon.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Simon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Simon.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Simon-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Simon-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Simon-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-Train-Sign.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-Train-Sign.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-Train-Sign.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-Train-Sign-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-Train-Sign-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Bete-Humaine-Cinematography-Train-Sign-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Renoir&#8217;s best films. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foreign Gem<\/li>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0029957\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/724177\/la-bete-humaine#articles-reviews?articleId=253092\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/411-la-bete-humaine-renoir-on-and-off-the-rails\">Criterion Essay<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/1608\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;If my husband were out of the way, we could put our troubles behind us.&#8221; Synopsis: When a stationmaster (Fernand Ledoux) kills the former lover (Jacques Berlioz) of his wife (Simone Simon) in a jealous rage, a train conductor (Jean Gabin) accidentally becomes involved in their cover-up and soon falls in love with Simon. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Domestic Abuse Femmes Fatales French Films Homicidal Spouses Infidelity Jean Gabin Films Jean Renoir Films Plot to Murder Simone Simon Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=77808\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77808"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88444,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77808\/revisions\/88444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}