UW Cinematheque | Manon (1949)

This adaptation of Prévost’s 1731 novel Manon Lescaut (which also inspired Puccini’s opera) is an early masterpiece for Clouzot, best known for The Wages of Fear and Diabolique. Reset during WWII and a few years after the war, the story of obsessive love follows Manon (Aubry), a village girl accused of collaborating with the Nazis who is rescued from imminent execution by a former French Resistance fighter (Auclair). The couple move to Paris, but their relationship turns stormy as they struggle to survive, resorting to profiteering, prostitution, and even murder. The stunning conclusion finds the protagonists in Palestine during the establishment of the State of Israel. Winner, Golden Lion, 1949 Venice Film Festival.