Between Eleven and Midnight
 

PostED ON 11.10.2025

‘It's incredible, it looks like a joke,’ remarks a policeman standing in front of the corpse of a man named Vidauban, the dead ringer for an inspector who is at once sharp, intelligent and primed for love.

© Roitfeld-Francinex / DR
Between Eleven and Midnight (1949)

With fine intensity, Louis Jouvet plays the policeman, the physical double of a scoundrel, in this ‘adventure of a gentleman and a lady who are no longer children’, as described by the protagonist, incarnated by actress Madeleine Robinson. The dialogue by Henri Jeanson, though uncredited, is recognisable for its trademark dark humour, as well as its enigmatic and melancholic poetry with a hint of sarcasm. ‘Everything we believe becomes true’ would serve as a fitting summary for the ideal state of mind of viewers watching a film.

In the shadows of the streets, when evening falls, I go like a lost dog, without hope. I search for a beautiful dream that eludes me, but I encounter only the night...’, echoes the haunting, forlorn song of this thriller, which, like most great crime flicks, ends up being also - and primarily- a story about feelings and human relationships. Leveraging the great inner turmoil that can seize a person who joyfully declares, ‘I am going to love!’, Jouvet reveals his feelings in his precise, confident and, most of all, powerful phrasing, but in an almost hushed tone. The secret of this captivating character is his multitasking ability - taking on his new love while steadfastly conducting the investigation. Between Eleven and Midnight irresistibly draws you into following its two protagonists in a story shared with a crowd of witnesses. Henri Decoin, who would later deliver another masterpiece in a quest for feelings, The Truth About Bébé Donge (1952), places his camera like a scientist using a microscope to observe tiny humans bustling about, withholding all judgement. Escape is not an option. The protagonists don't even try because they are consenting adults. And even if the resolution of the investigation is certain, its true fulfilment proves both unexpected and overwhelming.

Virginie Apiou

Between Eleven and Midnight by Henri Decoin (1949, 1h40)
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