Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Jean Gabin, Jules Berry, Arletty, Jacqueline Laurent, Mady Berry ... see more see more... , Jacques Baumer , Rene Genin , Rene Bergeron , Bernard Blier , Arthur Devère , Georges Douking , Gabrielle Fontan , Germaine Lix , Marcel Peres , Léonce Corne

Marcel Carne and Jacques Prevert's classic of French poetic realism stars Jean Gabin in one of his most famous roles as Francois, a rough, barrel-chested loner who hides out in his apartment awaiting ... read more read more...for the police to arrive. Francois has killed a man in a crime of passion, the slimy lothario Valentin (Jules Berry). As he listens in the darkness of his Normandy apartment to the police sirens closing in and getting louder, he recalls the two women that he loved -- Francoise (Jacqueline Laurent) and Clara (Arletty) -- and the evil Valentin, who stole both their hearts and forced Francois into this melancholy plight. The film was later re-made in Hollywood as The Long Night. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

48% want to see it

893 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Marcel Carné

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009

report incorrect info

Photos

Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Essential art house Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Videocover Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) canal+ poster Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) poster Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) studio canal DVD cover Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) poster
Upload a Photo | View All Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (70)

  • brooklynspo
    July 4, 2011
    brooklynspo
    awesome, i saw this a long time ago
  • rubystevens
    July 2, 2011
    rubystevens
    one of the great doomed romantic epics of poetic realism, with director marcel carné, his writing partner, the poet jacques prévert, and the fatalistic hero of so many films of the era, jean gabin, all at the height of their powers. wonderful atmosphere
  • tsigur
    April 8, 2008
    tsigur
    Great film! Jean Gabin puts on a clinic.
  • fb1142797643
    November 12, 2011
    fb1142797643
    A somber, suspenseful tale -- mostly told in flashback -- about a good man (Jean Gabin) who is driven to murder. As he barricades himself in his upstairs apartment, avoiding the police and a voyeuristic crowd, the events leading to the killing are recounted. The story involves a ... read morechoice between two lovers, along with a smooth-talking dog trainer who becomes an obstacle.

    The direction and cinematography are wonderful, but some aspects about the climax were unsatisfying for me. And did the police really make no effort to negotiate in those days?
  • gator681
    March 29, 2011
    gator681
    "Le Jour Se Leve" starts with Valentin(Jules Berry) making so theatrical a departure from the mortal coil that even a blind man could not miss it. A lot of the neighbors do not either, as the police are called. Arriving at the door of the culprit, Francois(Jean Gabin), a factor... read morey worker who everybody swears is just the swellest of guys, they look to arrest him peacefully. But he does not feel like talking to anybody, especially the police, who he fires shots at, preferring instead to think of happier days when he met Francoise(Jacqueline Laurent) on their mutual name day. They date but, suspicious, he follows her one night to a music hall.

    "Le Jour Se Leve" gets off to an excellent start with some exquisite camerawork and Jean Gabin again proving how good an actor he was, bringing out the light and darkness in his character. But the movie eventually gets bogged down in a convoluted soap opera. While some might not think there is much reasoning behind Francois' pulling the trigger, I think this goes to the tragedy of the movie that nothing good can ever come from taking a life, no matter the intentions.
  • Turfseer
    December 12, 2010
    Turfseer
    Well-acted but plodding, uncreative glimpse at love quadrangle

    *** This review may contain spoilers ***

    Le Jour Se Leve was considered good enough by Hollywood to be remade into a Henry Fonda vehicle in the 1940s. It's also currently considered a classic by many film critics an... read mored appears on some of the top ten lists for best film of all time. From my perspective, it's just another one of those films that's gained a reputation and because everyone else says it's great, it must be! But looking at it objectively, the story not only plods along but fails to pay off.

    The film begins with Francois, a factory worker, who has barricaded himself in his rooming house after shooting a man. The police arrive and he fires bullets through the door which almost hit the unarmed officers standing outside. The police call for reinforcements and a standoff ensues. The rest of the film involves flashbacks which explain how the situation arose as well as flash forwards to the present, with Francois holed up in his apartment as the police take various actions to try and get him out.

    It seems that Francois has fallen for a young waif, a floral shop worker by the name of Francoise and courts her assiduously. After a few weeks, he wants to stay the night with her but she tells him she has another engagement in the evening. Francois follows Francoise to a nightclub where Valentin, an older man, is performing a dog training act. Francois spies Francoise as she goes through the stage door in the back of the club to visit Valentin. Meanwhile, Francois runs into Clara (played by Arletty who was blacklisted for awhile in the French film industry after having an affair with a German Officer during the Occupation in World War II). Clara, who is Valentin's assistant and lover, reveals that she's just broken up with him after a three year relationship.

    The rest of 'Le Jour' revolves around Francois shacking up with Clara but also seeing Francoise. Valentin confronts Francois continuously and at one point falsely claims that he's Francoise's father. Finally, Valentin comes over to see Francois with a gun and admits that his initial intent was to shoot him. After further angry conversation, Francois takes Valentin's gun and shoots and kills him with it.

    That's almost it. After all the flash forwards to Francois dodging police bullets fired into his apartment, he finally decides to shoot himself. After all the machinations amongst the quadrangle, the suicide is probably the most unimaginative way to conclude the story.

    Le Jour's characters are all rather one note. Francois is the probably the best of the bunch since he has that gift of gab with women. But he's also an obnoxious hothead who can't control his temper. After he shoots Valentin, are we really supposed to feel for sympathy for him? The shooting is completely uncalled for. As for Valentin, his wacky demands for Francois to stop seeing Francoise become tiresome. Yes we get it that he's insanely jealous but it would be nice if we found out some things about him. Francoise appears particularly spineless as she continues her relationship with Francois despite continuing to see Valentin. I couldn't understand what she saw in Valentin and it's never really explained. Perhaps she's 1939 France's answer to a 'flower child'. Finally, Clara is the most level-headed of the bunch. She garners sympathy at the end when she attends to Francoise after she faints as the police close in on Francois. But Clara's screen time is limited and seems to be the odd woman out in the drama.

    Le Jour is certainly well-acted and Jean Gabin is particularly good as the smooth-talking Lothario who seduces both women. But with all long-winded 'present day' scenes with Francois besieged by the police, unexplored motivations of the various principals, one note characterizations and that climax which ends in a whimper, Le Jour Se Leve is a decidedly overrated film, undeserving of inclusion in the pantheon of art house winners.

View All Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

The pity of it all seems slightly forced, the melodramatics too obvious. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The screenplay is by Jacques Prevert, the most accomplished dialogist of the period, and the famous sets, with their overtones of German expressionism, are by Alexander Trauner. Full Review

Jeremy Heilman
July 19, 2009
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com

Set convincingly on the streets and in the tenements, every frame here feels lived in. Full Review

January 9, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A superb example of French poetic realism. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 24, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

What brings this film into greatness is the absolutely pitch-perfect lucid performance by Gabin. Full Review

Tom Milne
June 24, 2006
Tom Milne, Time Out

Possibly the best of the Carné-Prévert films, certainly their collaboration at its most classically pure. Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

This is the best of the fatalistic dramas scripted by Prévert and directed by Carné, a doom-laden romance, heavier on atmosphere than tension, and made memorable by the performances. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 30, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Long Night
    The Long Night (100%)

More Movies like Le Jour se lève (Daybreak)

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Le Jour se lève (... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Le Jour se lève (Daybreak). Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?