I'll have to disagree with some of the more negative comments about this film. Marcel Carne has succeeded beautifully in capturing the mood and major themes of Zola's novel in THERESE RAQUIN. It's nice to see a film from the period dealing with common working class people caught up in the turmoil of love and everyday life. The main romantic leads initially seem a little mismatched but by film's end the ice has more than melted between them. How many times have we seen the female lead fall too quickly for her suitor. Here it takes its sweet time and plays the better for it. Signoret's titular character seems almost a bit too stoic but considering her numbingly bland and lenghty marital situation, it may well be authentic. As many women are in reality, Therese is fiercely loyal to her husband, whether he deserves it or not. The ruggedly handsome Raf Vallone is ideally cast as the trucker who steals her attention and makes a good contrast to her dishrag of a husband. A blackmailing sailor who appears in the middle of the film before making a menacing reappearance near the end is very effectively played by Rolland leSaffre. He is as creepy as Robert Mitchum in CAPE FEAR. Do seek this one out and enjoy the ride!

Therese Raquin (1953)

You may be familiar with the lead actress, Simone Signoret, from Les Diaboliques, made a year after this film, and she plays a similar conflicted or complex, strong type of woman in a sordid world. She plays the title character, based on a Zola story, who is swept into a romance she doesn't completely expect and then a murder that she doesn't completely abhor.

And she is rather brilliant, a slightly different type than American actresses of the time, but commanding in her stoic intelligence. The two men are both first rate, one a foreign (Italian) charmer and the other a sharper fellow who is only slightly over his head. In fact, everyone is just slightly extended into decisions they don't quite know how to make. The fact that things go wrong is just part of great drama, and part of life, too.

The filming (photography and editing) is totally gorgeous here, The plot progresses slowly enough it might seem to drag, but I think it works in the long run, setting a deliberate and inevitable pace to events. What is maybe weakest is the ending, where things get a little spectacular, perhaps in a fascinating way, but certainly no longer believable.

Director Marcel Carne is no household name in this country, but the strength of this film alone makes me want to find others and get a feel for his style. Recommended for those who like drama, melodrama, and a sort of Euro-noir style, and who don't mind reading subtitles.

Emile Zola's novel about adultery, blackmail and murder, was adapted for the screen by Marcel Carne and Chales Spaak, two men who knew about all the elements that show so prominently in the book. In fact, Mr. Carne seems the obvious choice to tackle this work that packs quite a lot. Emile Zola was one of France's best writers of his time. His work always reflected human beings at a crossroad, as is the case in "Therese Raquin", one of his best novels.

Therese, the young woman at the center of the story, is married to her sickly cousin Camille. One look at Therese tells it all, she's caught in a no win situation as long as she remains married. Therese is ready to satisfy the sexual desires bottled in her. Enter the dashing young driver Laurent. He likes Therese and she feels, for once in her lifetime, the spark that brings her to life. It's clear she falls for this stranger with a passion she didn't know she had within her.

Zola seems to be a role model for writers like James Cain, who also saw what passion could do to sexually repressed individuals. The theme of "Therese Raquin" evokes some modern novels like Mr. Cain's "The Postman Always Ring Twice", and "Double Indemnity", to cite only two of his works also turned into successful films.

Camille, who senses his wife's betrayal, decides to take her away to some relatives where she would be safe, away from the temptation of the handsome man that could mean her salvation. Therese and Laurent have another thing in mind, as it becomes clear when the young lover happens to be in the same train as the Raquin. Little prepares them for the stranger that is also riding the train and who will come back to haunt them.

Simone Signoret makes an appealing Therese. Ms. Signoret was an interesting actress to watch on any of the films she appeared. Therese was one of her best creations as she gives the director a nuanced performance in what remains to be one of her best roles she played on the screen. Handsome Raf Vallone appears as the man who seduces the beautiful woman in an unhappy marriage. Sylvie is perfect as the mother who knew in her heart about her niece's betrayal. Marcel Andre as the blackmailer Michaud also creates the necessary tension for the lovers.

"Therese Raquin" is not seen often theses days, but it's worth a look for people who love the genre to watch one of Marcel Carne's best works in the French cinema.