''Wicked City'' (French: ''Hans le marin''; alternate title: ''The Last Port'') is a 1949 French

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

François Villiers François Villiers (2 March 1920 – 29 January 2009) Chevalier of the Legion of Honor was a French film director. He was responsible for several films, from '' Hans le marin'' in 1949, to '' Manika, une vie plus tard'', in 1989, which won t ...

and starring the husband-and-wife team of

Jean-Pierre Aumont Jean-Pierre Aumont (born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons; 5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001) was a French film and theatre actor. He was a matinée idol and a leading man during the 1930s, but his burgeoning career was interrupted by the Second ...

and

Maria Montez María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Móntez, was a Dominican actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure fil ...

. It was Montez's first film in Europe.Film information at Mariamontez.org
/ref> ''Wicked City'' and ''

The Man on the Eiffel Tower ''The Man on the Eiffel Tower'' is a 1950 American Ansco Color film noir mystery film starring Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Burgess Meredith, and Robert Hutton. Ultimately directed by Meredith, it is based on the 1931 novel '' La Tête ...

'' were the first French-American film co-productions following World War II.

Plot

Hans is a Canadian sailor docked in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

s who is having an affair with cabaret owner Dolores. When he is robbed and left for dead, he awakens to discover that Dolores has disappeared. He takes on a job as a nightclub

bouncer A bouncer (also known as a door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at licensed or sanctioned venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, strip clubs and casinos. A bouncer's duties are to provide security, to check legal ag ...

and has a fling with gypsy girl Tania.

Cast

as Dolores - I'entraîneuse *

as Eric Martin, alias Hans Norhen *

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

as Tania - la gitane *

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) ...

as Aimé - un nervi *

Pierre Bertin Pierre Victor Théophile Bertin (24 October 1891 – 13 May 1984) was a French stage and film actor. In 1948, he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry. He was the librettist of the opéra-comique ''La Gageure imprévue' ...

as Le monsieur sérieux *

Grégoire Aslan Grégoire Aslan (born Krikor Kaloust Aslanian (); 28 March 1908 – 8 January 1982) was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician. Early life He was born to an Armenian family in Switzerland or in Constantinople, according to different sources. He m ...

as Le Brésilien (as Coco Aslan) *

Roland Toutain Roland Toutain (October 18, 1905 - October 16, 1977) was a French actor, songwriter and stuntman. He appeared in 55 films between 1924 and 1957, both in leading and supporting roles. Life and career Toutain is known for playing the aviator And ...

as Le rabatteur * Roger Elin as Emilio * Catherine Damet as Suzy - une entraîneuse * Georges Hubert as L'inspecteur * Lita Recio as La patronne * Georges Jamin as Le commissaire * Dinan as Himself * Frédéric O'Brady as Le chef des gitans (as O'Brady) * Jean-Marie Simon as Le petit (as Poupy Simon) * Jean Roy as Victor - un nevri * Kosta Alex as Himself * Lawson Mooney as Himself * Jacques Guelis as Himself * Claude Malfrayt as Petit rôle * Les Ballets Choucoune as Himself *

Noël Chiboust Noël Chiboust (October 4, 1909, Thorigny-sur-Marne - January 17, 1994, Pau) was a French jazz trumpeter and reedist. Career Chiboust started out as a violinist, playing in Ray Ventura's orchestra from 1928 to 1931, but settled on trumpet soo ...

as Et Son Quartett

Production

Aumont served with the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

army during World War II and was wounded by shrapnel near Marseilles in 1944. While recuperating, he read the novel ''Hans le marin'' by Edouard Peisson, and in 1946 he, his wife and his brother François Villiers visited Peisson to negotiate to purchase the film rights. Aumont was to write the script, Villiers was to direct and Montez and Aumont would star. The goal was to show Montez "is an actress as well as a manikin." Andre Sarrut of Safia Productions agreed to pay the production costs of the film, up to 80,000 francs (then US$250,000). Aumont was to produce through his company with Montez, Christina Productions. Christina provided the services of Aumont, Montez and

; in exchange, Christina's share would be paid off first out of American box-office receipts. Filming began in Marseilles in July 1948. Approximately 60% of the film was shot on location, with the remainder filmed at the

Joinville Studios The Joinville Studios were a film studio in Paris which operated between 1910 and 1987. They were one of the leading French studios, with major companies such as Pathé and Gaumont Film Company, Gaumont making films there. A second studio was a ...

in Paris.

References

External links

* Films set in Marseille 1949 films French crime drama films 1949 crime drama films 1940s French-language films Films shot at Joinville Studios Films directed by François Villiers French black-and-white films French-language crime drama films 1940s French films {{1940s-France-film-stub