The Devil's Envoys

Original title: Les visiteurs du soir

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Dark Fantasy Fairy Tale Period Drama Supernatural Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Tragedy Drama Fantasy Romance

In medieval France, the Devil intervenes when one of his two envoys, sent to seduce and deceive mortals, falls instead for a victim.In medieval France, the Devil intervenes when one of his two envoys, sent to seduce and deceive mortals, falls instead for a victim.In medieval France, the Devil intervenes when one of his two envoys, sent to seduce and deceive mortals, falls instead for a victim.

Director
- Marcel Carné
Writers
- Jacques Prévert
- Pierre Laroche
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Marcel Carné
Writers
- Jacques Prévert
- Pierre Laroche
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
This film was shot while the Nazis were occupying France. Its director faced a number of difficulties in making it. It premiered on December 4, 1942. It was one of the biggest film events during the war. It was called "the grandest film of the Occupation." One of the reasons that the film was such a huge success was the rumor that the film was an allegory. Many people saw the character of the Devil as representing Hitler and the continued beating hearts of the lovers as representing France living under German rule. Until his death in 1996 the director, Marcel Carné, denied any intended hidden messages.

Quotes
Dominique - un ménestrel: Men have loved me, as they like to whisper in my ear. I let them. Is it my fault if they wept, gave everything for me, even their lives? The young men were passionate; the old men crawled at my feet.
Gilles - un ménestrel: When did I ever cry or throw myself at your feet?
Dominique - un ménestrel: [snorts] You're different - greedy, stubborn, proud. You just want to be loved, to take without giving, to keep it all and leave.
Gilles - un ménestrel: Like you!
Dominique - un ménestrel: You hunted me like a cat hunts a mouse - but we're both cats, there is no mouse. It's not our fault. We both thought we'd caught a tender new victim... two executioners, face to face and no one to torture. How sad.

Crazy credits
The opening credits are shown as pages of an illuminated book with a gloved hand turning each page over.

Connections
Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: La monnaie de l'absolu (1999)

Soundtracks
Complainte de Gilles
Music by Maurice Thiriet
Lyrics by Jacques Prévert
Performed by Jacques Jansen

User reviews16

Review

Featured review

8/10

Art!

This was the fifth of the six Great films directed by Marcel Carne between 1937 & 1945, again with writing collaboration from Jacques Prevert, and perhaps the most neglected. So much so I've yet to see a good print, my latest one from French TV seems to have horses galloping (albeit softly) throughout the soundtrack while the film seems to have been bashed about a bit. Never mind; Carne's career was littered with excellent films but Visiteurs was one of his best - maybe it's best seen now without thinking of metaphorical allusions to the then resistance against the Nazis (except as a piece de resistance?) And the best was still a few years off: the utter magnificence of Les Enfants Du Paradis.

France 1485: shady Gilles (square jawed Cuny) and Dominique (worldly wise Arletty) arrive at Baron Hugues castle as melancholic minstrels intent on disrupting the marriage preparations going on – as any self respecting devilish envoy would. Alas it goes awry for Gilles when he actually does fall in love with Anne the Baron's daughter (Dea) but Arletty manages to keep to her usual cynical straight and narrow course, and leads the Baron off his. It's beautifully photographed on black & white nitrate film capturing atmospheric sunny days and romantic arc-moonlit nights, gorgeous costumes and fascinating sets equally well. One can almost smell the fresh air! One slight downer: the three midgets go from startling to plain irritating with their omnipresence. It's all about Love, Honour & Purity poetically and elegantly related – which makes the denouement with the supposedly pure Anne and the for once nonplussed Devil so delightful and droll. Even if out of scope for him he should still have been able to guess that all's fair in love!

Remember: the Devil will always find work for idle hands to do, including his own. Watch it for a thoughtful two hours of breath taking beauty strolling through a lost world as portrayed by another lost world. Next: Les Enfants Du Paradis.