Magnet of Doom (French: L'Aîné des Ferchaux, "The Elder Ferchaux"), also known as An Honorable Young Man, is a 1963 French noir film, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, based on the novel of the same title by Georges Simenon.
| Magnet of Doom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Written by | Jean-Pierre Melville Georges Simenon (novel) |
| Based on | L'Aîné des Ferchaux 1945 book by Georges Simenon |
| Produced by | Charles Lumbroso |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Edited by | Monique Bonnot Claude Durand |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 min |
| Countries |
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| Language | French |
| Box office | 1,484,948 admissions (France)[2] |
Synopsis
In Paris the young ex-para and would-be boxer Michel Maudet loses his first big fight and is sacked by his manager. Needing a job, he answers an ad for a male secretary able to travel and is hired on the spot by Dieudonné Ferchaux, senior partner of a failing bank who has a criminal past. Without telling his girl friend Lina, whom he leaves penniless, that night he flies with Ferchaux to New York. Next morning, Ferchaux is able to collect millions of dollars from his safe-deposit box but cannot touch his US bank account because the French authorities are seeking his extradition. Hiring a car, he and Maudet drive by back roads to Louisiana, shadowed by FBI agents.
Renting an isolated house in New Orleans, Ferchaux falls sick and Maudet gets increasingly frustrated at the whims of an old man with no power left beyond his attaché case of dollars. Going to the neighbourhood bar for drink and company, Maudet mentions his boss's stash to the owner Jeff, a crook and murderer, and then picks up a dancer Lou in a night club. Deciding he would rather be with her, he takes Ferchaux's case of money but something makes him go back with it to the house, where Jeff and an accomplice are trying to rob Ferchaux, who fights back ferociously. Though Maudet routs the villains, Ferchaux has been knifed and dies in his arms. With his last breath he urges Maudet to take his keys, which will open another safe-deposit box full of dollars in Venezuela, but Maudet has had enough.
Production
The outdoor scenes were shot on location in the U.S. It was Melville's first feature film shot in color and Franscope.[3]
Cast
- Jean-Paul Belmondo: Michel Maudet
- Charles Vanel: Dieudonné Ferchaux
- Michèle Mercier: Lou, the dancer
- Ewa Swann (credited as Malvina Silberberg: Lina, the Parisian
- Stefania Sandrelli: Angie, the hitchhiker
- Andrex: M. Andréi
- André Certes: Émile Ferchaux
Release
Magnet of Doom was released in France in 1963.[1] It was also shown at the inaugural New York Film Festival in Philharmonic Hall.[4]
Reception
John Simon of The New Leader saw Magnet of Doom at the New York Film Festival. He dismissed the film as 'more than usually trashy Simenon turned into a would-be thriller, with Belmondo perpetuating his irresistible, smilingly evil, stereotyped self'.[5] Melville's depiction of America was seen as anachronistic.[6] The relationship between Maudet and Ferchaux has been described as homoerotic, a common trait of Melville's films.[7]
References
- ^ a b "L'Aîné des Ferchaux" (in French). Bifi.fr. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ Box office information for film at Box Office Story
- ^ Fournier-Lanzoni, Remi. French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present. Continuum, 2002. 457.
- ^ "New York's Film Festival Presents", The New York Times. September 8, 1963.
- ^ Simon, John (1967). Private Screenings. The MacMillan Company. p. 85.
- ^ Canby, Vincent. "'The Godson' (No Relation to 'Godfather') Opens", The New York Times. July 13, 1972.
- ^ Vincendau, Ginette. Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris. British Film Institute, 2003. 21.
External links
- Magnet of Doom at IMDb
- Magnet of Doom at Le Film Guide
- Essay on L'aîné des Ferchaux by Rob Nixon at Turner Classic Movies
- 2011 review essay by James Travers at frenchfilms.org.
- Magnet of Doom at AllMovie
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