<\/p>\n
For more than half a century, Jean Gabin<\/strong>\u2019s clear-eyed charm mesmerised audiences. He was the epitome of the French movie star. Indeed, the tragic rebel he personified during the first part of his career made him a precursor to James Dean<\/strong>, the embodiment of a new, more sensitive type of man. After the war, Gabin struggled to find a new style, switching indecisively between playing pariahs and gentlemen of the establishment. But a new, mature persona emerged with the release of\u00a0Touchez Pas au Grisbi<\/em>\u00a0(screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato 2016), in which both Gabin\u2019s body and his manner seem more ponderous \u2013 making him more like a French John Wayne<\/strong>. This selection offers only nine out of his ninety-five performances on film, leaving out such masterpieces as\u00a0La Grande illusion<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Le Jour se l\u00e8ve<\/em>\u00a0which have been shown at previous editions of the festival. We have opted instead to show rarities such as Litvak<\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0Coeur de lilas<\/em>\u00a0and Pabst<\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0Du haut en bas<\/em>, as well as forgotten works such Ren\u00e9 Cl\u00e9ment<\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0Au-del\u00e0 des grilles<\/em>, Marcel Carn\u00e9<\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0La Marie du port<\/em>\u00a0and movies in which he partners with Brigitte Bardot<\/strong> and Simone Signoret<\/strong>, not to mention an inimitable performance as Georges Simenon\u2019s Maigret. As Max Oph\u00fcls<\/strong> might have said, sheer pleasure!\u00a0<\/p>\n