Like in English "Epave " has two meanings in French:that of a ship and a man who has become one of the last,lonely and wretched .The two meanings apply to the movie.
The precedent user sums up the movie in admirable succinct style and also reviews it enthusiastically.
The French critics ,however ,do not speak highly of Willy Rozier and a cursory look at his filmography does not tend toward indulgence.Most of his movies are dreadful melodramas (just Watch " Le Bagnard" ).
That said,I don't want to hurt Max's feelings ,for I know that he is a true connoisseur of the French cinema and that "L'Epave" is certainly the most satisfying effort of -to put it mildly- an uneven production.
The Office Catholique Du Cinema forbade the movie to their flock,because of a daring advertising -think of the poster of "the outcast" starring Jane Russel-,and a too sensual actress, Françoise Arnoul.
Along Martine Carol,she was the sexiest actress of the Pre-Bardot French cinema.And the fact that she showed (very furtively) one breast and a plunging negligé only made the matters worse (1949!).It was her true debut,for she had only a small part in Becker's masterpiece "Rendez-Vous De Juillet";her Partner,Robert Le Gall,was a Jean Gabin ersatz-when he get's angry with the bitch who walked out on him,his playing strongly recalls Gabin's fit of anger in "Le Jour Se Lève".
The first part of the movie is weak indeed:the songs are filler ,and an interminable free-for -all drags on;but things get better afterward ;there are several scuba diving scenes and they are quite good for the time.The hero's frame of minds are sometimes ponderous and redundant (the voice -over tells us "he began to work" ;then one of the sailors says :"that's it!he begins to work") But the last voice-over,at the very end of the movie reaches some kind of poetry ,recalling sometimes Prévert's lines in "Jenny" (Carné,1936). And this ending is really strong ,one of the best in the melodrama genre,and I wish all the movie had been on the same level.
Like this? Try these....
"Le Port Du Désir" Edmond T. Greville ,1952.
"Vulcano" William Dieterle,1949.
"Hans Le Marin" François Villiers ,1948.
