NOT GUILTY

One night, in a drunken stupor, doctor Michel Ancelin (Michel Simon, Boudu Saved From Drowning, L’Atalante) causes a tragic road accident in a small countryside town. Thanks to his brilliant mind and medical know-how, he expertly covers his tracks. Relishing in his newfound self-confidence, Michel continues to weave a complex web of lies and cause havoc in the local community. A wickedly enjoyable noir from prolific French genre director (and national swimming champion) Henri Decoin, Not Guilty is presented here for the first time with both the original and recently rediscovered alternate ending.

THE LOST ONE

Working under an alias as a doctor for displaced persons, Dr. Karl Rothe (Peter Lorre, M, Casablanca) bumps into his former colleague Nowak (Karl John, The Devil’s General); both are keeping a low profile, having worked on secret scientific research for the then-Nazi government. Nowak is curious about what happened to Rothe in the intervening years and, that night, Rothe recounts how his fiancée Inge Hermann (Renate Mannhardt, The Great Temptation) sold secrets to the Allies. Inspired by a true story, Peter Lorre’s atmospheric noir – his only film as director or writer – was unpopular with audiences at the time but has since been revaluated as one of the finest examples of post-World War II German cinema.

GIRL WITH HYACINTHS

As a wild party rages on, loner Dagmar Brink (Eva Henning) plays the piano. A reveller requests a specific song. She stops abruptly. The next morning, the housekeeper finds Dagmar’s body hanging from the ceiling. Hearing what has happened, a curious neighbour – writer Anders Wikner (Ulf Palme) – gets to work investigating what led to such an event. With pitch-perfect pacing, sharp dialogue and atmospheric cinematography, Hasse Ekman’s masterful mystery was described by Ingmar Bergman as one of the greatest Swedish films of all time.

BACK TO THE WALL

Jacques, a rich industrialist, sneaks around an apartment where he bundles up and disposes of a dead body. His troubles started three months ago, his wife, Gloria, was having an affair… To get his revenge he sends Gloria anonymous letters in a scheme to turn her against her lover, a scheme that leads to murder. Ingeniously plotted, this methodical noir by Édouard Molinaro (Witness in the City) bathes in atmospheric chiaroscuro while its pulpy thrills, adapted from the novel by Frédéric Dard (Paris Pick-up), keeps the audience guessing until the final moments. Starring Jeanne Moreau (The Bride Wore Black) as the adulterous wife, this twisty noir is made available in the UK for the first time.

PARIS PICK-UP

Recently released ex-convict Robert Herbin (Robert Hossein, Rififi) meets Marthe (Lea Massari, L’Avventura), a beautiful Italian woman and her daughter. They share some flirtatious glances and then she invites him back to her home where they discover her husband’s dead body. Unable to bear witness to a crime due to his parole Robert flees. Guilty about her situation Robert stays close by where he discovers the body has inexplicably disappeared. With its tender depiction of character and relationships director Marcel Bluwal engineers gripping tension with the expertise of Hitchcock or Clouzot. Adapted from the novel by celebrated crime writer Frédéric Dard (Back to the Wall), Paris Pick-up is released for the first time outside of France.