The Alibi (French: L'Alibi) is a 1937 French mystery film directed by Pierre Chenal and starring Erich von Stroheim, Albert Préjean and Jany Holt. It has been described as a precursor to film noir.[1]

The Alibi
Directed byPierre Chenal
Written byMarcel Achard
Jacques Companéez
Herbert Juttke
Pierre Chenal
Produced byFritz Bukofzer
StarringErich von Stroheim
Albert Préjean
Jany Holt
CinematographyTheodore J. Pahle
Edited byGustaf Heidenheim
Music byGeorges Auric
Jacques Belasco
Production
company
B.N. Films
Distributed byÉclair-Journal
Release date
  • 23 December 1937 (1937-12-23)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

The film was shot at the Billancourt Studios and Epinay Studios in Paris. Location shooting took place at Trilport on the River Seine. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Eugène Lourié and Serge Piménoff

The film was well received by critics on its release.[2] It was released in the United States in April 1939 by Columbia Pictures. It was remade as the 1942 British film Alibi starring Margaret Lockwood and James Mason.

Synopsis

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Professor Winckler, a stage thought reader, encounters an old enemy and kills him. He pays one of the hostesses at the nightclub he performs at to give him an alibi. A police detective is convinced that Winckler is the murderer and sets out to break the alibi.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ Grant p.45
  2. ^ Andrew p.134

Bibliography

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  • Andrews, Dudley. Mists of Regret: Culture and Sensibility in Classic French Film. Princeton University Press, 1995.
  • Grant, Kevin. Roots of Film Noir: Precursors from the Silent Era to the 1940s. McFarland, 2002.
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