Les Visiteurs du Soir
Because Marcel Carné made Les Visiteurs du Soir in Nazi-occupied France, and because it’s about a realm invaded by the The Devil’s Envoys (the English title), it’s often seen as allegorical. Carné denied it to the end of his life. But his film works perfectly well as an allegory as long as you stop there – the invasion bit. Go any further and the comparison will not hold. Set in a 15th-century France of doublet and hose and conical hats, it follows a couple of the devil’s representatives, who have been sent to Earth disguised as minstrels to create mayhem. Dominique (Arletty) and Gilles (Alain Cluny) arrive at the court of Baron Hugues … Read more