Do you remember the story of this poor woman who ended up in the courtroom ,with her own son (who did not know her) as her lawyer? That was the subject of several movies ,the most famous of which was the one with Lana Turner.
If you love melodramas,you will love "Le Coupable" .It includes everything people like in this kind of movie: the man from a wealthy family who falls in love with a florist (the touching Madeleine Ozeray),the lover who goes to war and leaves his darling crying ...and giving birth to a child;a stepfather "à la Murdstone" ;the mother ,on her deathbed ,urging her son to find his true papa ;the son on the road to perdition; the father back from war who got married (mariage of convenience) and who is no longer happy in his chic milieu;and last but not least,the boy charged with murder stands in trial;and guess who is the counsel for the prosecution?
"Le Coupable " is the remake of a silent movie and it works quite well. Pierre Blanchar is more restrained than usual ,particularly in the scenes in the court.Fine supporting roles by Marguerite Moreno as the old dowager living in the past and by Palmyre Levasseur as Rosalie the outspoken fruit seller .Gilbert Gil -who made the same year "Pepe Le Moko" by Duvivier ,the part of Pierrot" - is deeply moving as a French David Copperfield longing for love and tenderness.
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