Programmed June 2024

Directed by Jean Grémillon

Though little-known outside of France, Jean Grémillon was a consummate filmmaker from his country’s golden age. A classical violinist who turned to directing, he went on to make almost fifty films—from documentaries to avant-garde works to melodramas with major stars—in a thirty-year career. Some of his richest came during a dire period in French history: the apprehensive years leading up to World War II, and the time of the German occupation. These character-driven dramas—including collaborations with screenwriter Jacques Prévert and acting legend Jean Gabin, as well as two newly restored classics ( Lady Killer , Strange M. Victor )—are humane, entertaining, and technically brilliant, proving Grémillon to be one of cinema’s true hidden masters.