Une mort sans importance

Yvan Noé had already broached the fantasy genre when he made his amazing (and overlooked) "La Cavalcade DES Heures"(1942).He was also interested in the detective story ("Le Château Des Quatre Obèses "1938)and "Une Mort Sans Importance" combines the two genres .It's definitely inferior to the former although less confused than the latter .

Except for the first scene when Jean-Pierre Kerrien hears the voice of Death after trying to commit suicide ,in an apartment full of grimacing masks ,Noe seems incapable of building a really eerie atmosphere -whereas he had succeeded in his 1942 attempt-.

Death tells the hero his time has not come ,and asks for a favor :replacing Him in a mansion where a death is planned .

There's an old man dying in this house and an American sleuth suspects someone among his family of "helping him to die ".The ending is pretty original,being moral and immoral .

Like this? try these "Death takes a holiday",Leisen 1934 "Meet Joe Black" ,Brest ,1998 "Der MÜde Tod" ,Lang,1921