Hotel du Nord (1938)

“At-mos-phè-re! At-mos-phè-re! Do I look like an at-mos-phè-re?”

Atmosphere is precisely what Marcel Carné’s Hôtel du Nord is all about. Arletty’s character of Raymonde (a prostitute) shouts these words at Edmond (Louis Jouvet) – her pimp/protector – when he claims that he needs a change of atmosphere – a change from her. This moment in the film, while serving as a comedic relief moment, also sums up what the main players of the film are feeling. They want an escape. An escape from their situation. An escape from themselves. An escape from their past. And in this story, people who are society’s undesirables, like the main four characters, end up at the Hôtel du Nord to make their escapes happen. But, of course, none of their plans to run away go smoothly.

"Atmosphere is precisely what Marcel Carné’s Hôtel du Nord is all about"


On the night of a celebration at the Hôtel du Nord, Renée (Annabella) and Pierre (Jean-Pierre Aumont), a young couple, rent out a room for the night. Unlike the other guests, these two have nothing to celebrate. They have come to the hotel not for a honeymoon or any other type of vacation, but rather to kill themselves. They cannot afford to get married and both feel that facing a life of poverty is unbearable. But at least they will have died in each other’s arms, right? Well, unfortunately, Pierre loses the courage to kill himself after he shoots Renée, and he flees, but not before being spotted by Edmond, who he himself had plans of sailing with Raymonde in a few days’ time. Pierre turns himself in. Renée survives and finds in comfort in Edmond. And Edmond cancels his trip with Raymonde. What comes for the two pairs’ collision is to be confronted with the failures of their lives and answering for said failures.

Hotel du Nord (1938)

With such a melodramatic storyline moving the picture along, the main stars of the picture are the heightened emotions of the main characters. In Renée and Pierre, you have the overwhelming fear of the future. And in Edmond and Raymonde, you have a past no doubt riddled with mistakes and regrets that are unable to be escaped from. A case could be made that Edmond and Raymonde are the type of people the young couple fears they will to turn into. They do not want to resort to turning to illegal acts because they have no other choice. This is a type of hopelessness that looms over all of the characters that can be felt in both the nuances and bursts of emotions. It can also very much be felt in the stark, stunning architecture and poetic atmosphere done by production designer Alexandre Trauner.

Complete with a climactic shootout and even a slightly hopeful ending, Hôtel du Nord nicely ties up each character’s story as fits appropriately, even if a bit tragic. Also starring André Brunot, Jane Marken, and a very eclectic cast of supporting characters, The Criterion Collection has added this poetic realism classic to their closet with a beautiful new 2K restoration..

4/5 stars

Hotel du Nord (1938)

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Criterion
Available on Blu-ray
- August 23, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.37:1
Subtitles
: English
Audio:
LPCM Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc single disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Anguished young lovers, fallen women, wanted criminals, and all manner of social castoffs: these are the disreputable denizens of the Hôtel du Nord, an atmospherically seedy boardinghouse on the bustling banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, whose lives collide in Marcel Carné’s bittersweet rhapsody of romance, betrayal, revelry, and violence. Featuring evocative production design by the famed Alexandre Trauner and a colorful ensemble cast of some of classical French cinema’s most illustrious stars—including Annabella, Louis Jouvet, and a divinely dissolute Arletty in one of her most iconic roles—Hôtel du Nord is a jewel of a film and a sublime exemplar of Carné’s celebrated poetics, imbuing working-class lives and dramas with a touching nobility.

Video

Presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, the new 2K restoration taken from the 35 mm original camera negative does the film a great justice in highlighting the stark At-mos-phè-re! of Hôtel du Nord. The grey scale is balanced to perfection and the darker scenes, that are mostly outdoor night scenes, look wonderfully sharp and dark. There are no major blemishes that are noticeable, but the only small issue is that there are a few close-up shots that are a little soft/hazy on character’s faces. But overall, it is a great restoration.

Audio

Remastered from the 35 mm original soundtrack negative, the new uncompressed monoaural soundtrack shows no issues. All of the dialogue, the score, and sound effects can be heard by views with no problems.

Supplements:

While the supplements lack a commentary track, the special features more than dive into the At-mos-phè-re! of the film as well a tidbit about the director’s career.

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

  • New conversation between filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie) and journalist Philippe Morisson
  • Television program from 1972 on the making of the film
  • Documentary from 1994 on the life and career of director Marcel Carné
  • Trailer
  • PLUS: An essay by film and theater scholar Edward Baron Turk

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  5/5 stars
  Audio 5/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4.5/5 stars


Film Details

Hotel du Nord (1938)

MPAA Rating: Unrated
Runtime:
83 mins
Director
: Marcel Carné
Writer:
Jean Aurenche
Cast:
Annabella; Jean-Pierre Aumont; Louis Jouvet
Genre
: Drama | Romance
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote: "Atmosphere, atmosphere, est-ce que j'ai une gueule d'atmosphere?"
Theatrical Distributor:
Juno
Official Site: https://www.criterion.com/films/27721-h-tel-du-nord
Release Date:
December 28, 1940
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
August 23, 2022.
Synopsis: Anguished young lovers, fallen women, wanted criminals, and all manner of social castoffs: these are the disreputable denizens of the Hôtel du Nord, an atmospherically seedy boardinghouse on the bustling banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, whose lives collide in Marcel Carné’s bittersweet rhapsody of romance, betrayal, revelry, and violence.

Art

Hotel du Nord (1938)