La bête humaine

1938 [FRENCH]

Crime / Drama

7
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 94% · 17 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 82% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.5/10 10 9112 9.1K

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Plot summary

Returning by train to the French port of Le Havre, Jacques Lantier, a tormented railwayman, meets by chance the impulsive stationmaster Roubard and Séverine, his wife.

Director

Top cast

Jean Renoir as Cabuche
Simone Simon as Séverine Roubaud
Colette Régis as Victoire Pecqueux
Jean Gabin as Jacques Lantier
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
908.15 MB
986*720
French 2.0
Not Rated
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 38 min
Seeds 1
1.65 GB
1480*1080
French 2.0
Not Rated
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 38 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

I have to be honest and say that

I have to be honest and say that I was quite underwhelmed by this. Whilst Jean Renoir has certainly produced a beautifully gritty film that evokes a genuine sense of how life on the French Chemin de fer might have been in the late 1930s', this left me feeling that a great deal had been lost between the book and the screen... "Roubeau" is a forty something railway conductor who has a much, much younger wife. When he discovers that she has had an affair with her godfather, he forces her to arrange a meeting on his (moving) train and kills him. Whilst not actually witnessed by fellow railway worker "Jacques Lantier" (another strong performance from Jean Gabin); he saw them leave the compartment and he covers for them at the subsequent enquiry - he, too has fallen for her! Though there are doubtless some enthralling scenes - particularly as he and his femme fatale; a rather insipid looking Simone Simon find their relationship become truly toxic; the story just doesn't quite catch fire for me. It's a rather melodramatic interpretation of Zola's novel - and though it is broadly faithful to the book; it lacks much of the nuance and by allowing us to see full on; rather than allow our imagination to drive our feelings about the complex relationships and demons that each of the three principal charters face, it delivers us with some stark characterisations that I didn't appreciate so much; I just didn't really empathise with them in anything like the same way as I did when I read the book. Again, Jospeh Kosma delivers a super score to accompany this; and the cinematography - especially in/around the trains is as authentic as I have seen. A good but not great film.
Reviewed by 8 / 10

Good Bet

I recently saw the remake of this which was rather interesting and found it entertaining. Then, this came and I decided to see it so I could compare both versions. They are different and I liked them both with both having subtle and pertinent differences all good. This one is a French film and one must take that into consideration when watching for this very important reason. It is not uncommon for the French culture to support marriage and at the same time having a lover on the side too. This applies to both spouses and not necessarily endorsed or supported but perhaps tolerated for reasons I don't care to explore. With that in mind, the movie has more meaning in certain scenes. I enjoyed the trains of old and who doesn't like a good movie with trains in them? Objectively speaking, it is shocking what men and women will do when it comes to sex and lust. Nothing is off the table when the desires of the flesh are activated and then unleashed. Many a murder, robbery and perversion is done in this mindset and for those few moments people literally go out of their minds, lose all reason and let their inner beasts out to play and cause harm. Once completed, shame and guilt visit until either one repents (changes in the Greek) or has to have another fix. Being addicted to dysfunction is a curse and can only end one way. Repentance on the other hand leads one to a better way and literally away from the fallen deed or mishap. This principal is acted out and shown quite well in this movie. Good sandwich (French bread) movie and a tasty drink with some chocolate recommended while watching. The nature of the human always makes for good story telling
Reviewed by diogoal-2 8 / 10

good piece of cinematography

I was very surprised when I watched this film; right in the beginning I spotted a great deal of similarities with Fritz Lang´s 1954 flick "Human Desire", with Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford, which I had previously seen. Both films are based on Zola´s story, and, obviously, the merit is Renoir´s, since his version is much better. The psychological and deep meaning beneath the coolness of the main character (Jacques Lantier, in a Gabin memorable performance) is handled superbly; so is his troubled relation with Simone´s character. Despite some boring shots, the photography and screenplay are gems, and "Bete Humaine" ends up being a great addition to Renoir´s filmography. I love him; "La Grande Ilusion" and "La Regle du Jeu" are two of my favorite films; a masterful storyteller and a curious observer of the human soul. A humanist.
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