The Promise That Transformed Jean Gabin’s Career

Described by his friend Gilles Grangier as “Often bad faith” but also as “Lighting even”Jean Gabin held his promises, and respect for one of them upset his career.

A promise is a promise

Gaumont

In 1953, Gabin worked for the first time with the director Gilles Grangier. The latter has been working since the 1930s as a staging assistant and he has signed his own films since 1943.

They choose to shoot the Virgin of the Rhine together, the story of a man who has disappeared since 1940 who returns to his city under a loan name, and discovers that his wife has remarked. Shortly after, the new husband was found dead and the newcomer is seen as the ideal culprit …

When it was released, this drama on a false culprit is poorly received, although it is a success (1.79 million admissions all the same. Grangier will describe the Virgin of the Rhine as a film “Not extraordinary”as he will entrust to France Culture In 1978. The preview went wrong, and Jean Gabin then promised him: “Don’t worry, I’m going to be another.”

Having appreciated this filming mainly outdoors with Grangier, Gabin holds his promise and again turns with the director a feature film entitled Gas-Oil, in 1955. He ignores that this film will change his life.

A capital meeting

When

It is indeed on this shoot that Grangier meets Gabin a man who will quickly become his friend: Michel Audiard. This latter will wonderfully dialogue Gabin’s films, contributing to the actor’s rebirth on the screen. Carried by the triumph of not touching the Grisbi (1954), the interpreter of Pépé Le Moko will find with the vocabulary and the phrasing of Audiard the favors of the public.

Gabin and Grangier will still turn 10 feature films from 1956 to 1969 together, including seven dialogued by Audiard. The latter will write a total of 20 times for Gabin between Gas-Oil and the black flag floats on the pot, also produced by Audiard in 1971.