Jean Grémillon: During the Occupation

Aroview: Three character-driven dramas from the heralded French film director who has been little represented outside of his home country:

Remorques (Stormy Waters, 1941) 84m.
Jean Gabin plays a tugboat captain pulled between devotion to his wife and attraction to a mysterious and sensual woman he meets during a rescue mission. This haunting film is distinguished by beautiful tracking shots and cunning special-effects work.

Lumière d'été (Summer Light, 1943) 110m.
It's love and class warfare when three men and two women enact a messy romantic roundelay that devolves into bitterness and violence. The film was banned from theaters for the duration of the occupation for its dark portrayal of the hedonistic excesses of the ruling class.

Le ciel est à vous (The Woman Who Dared, 1944) 107m.
Madeleine Renard plays a small town wife and mother who becomes an aviatrix and dreams of breaking the women's long-distance flying record in this soaring tale of liberation and determination, the director's most financially successful film.