Lemmy Caution - This
Man is Dangerous
Director: Jean Sacha
Year: 1953
Rating: 7.5
Country: France
This is a very enjoyable tough guy stylish French crime film based on the
Lemmy Caution novels. There were 11 of them written by British author Peter
Cheyney from 1936 to 1953 (there is an Omnibus on Kindle of them all) - this
one is based on the first book in the series of the same name - the French
title of the film is Cet Homme est Dangereux. Of the books six were made into
films by the French and then of course there is Alphaville by Godard which
was not based on one of the books or much of anything else that makes sense.
Eddie Constantine starred as Lemmie in all of them. Later on films with
the character of Lemmie with Constantine again in the role were made in 1983,
1984, 1986, 1989 and for the last time in another Godard film in 1991, Germany
Year 90 Nine Zero. Constantine was a fascinating figure with his craggy crumpled
face broken up like the moon with bad acne in the past - but that just added
to to his tough guy image in the films he made. Born in Los Angeles he went
to Europe to study opera - yup opera - but when that didn't work out he went
back to America, got married and then went to France where he had an affair
with Edith Piaf after he showed her one of his songs that he had written.
With Piaf pushing him publicly, Constantine became a French pop star and got
into film in 1953 with his role as Lemmie Caution. He was basically to remain
in Europe for the rest of his life performing in films and singing - though
he was also to appear in some American films. He died in 1993.
I read this book and it is fairly enjoyable as it moves fast and has a lot
of bravado - but the dialogue Cheyney writes feels like he took it from watching
the Warner Brother's crime films of the 1930's with Cagney, Raft, Bogart and
Edward G. Robinson - all exaggerated tough guy talk that would make Hammett
and Chandler blush - it was Cheney's attempt at writing American pulp. But
it worked and he sold a ton of books though apparently France really took
to his Lemmie Caution character. I am not sure many people in America have
a clue who he is now.
The film follows the book very closely - though thankfully they re-wrote
the dialogue and moved the action from England to France - but it starts about
half way into the book - which may have been the right thing to do and certainly
no worse than a slap across the face - of which there is a lot in this film
- be careful if you go to France - slapping faces seems as popular as drinking
wine. The story has a faint resemblance to Hammett's Red Harvest (1927) in
which a detective cleans up a town by setting the two gangs against one another
- a theme that was later used by Kurosawa and Sergio Leone. There are some
no good hard boiled dames, gunplay, knockabouts, betrayals, whiskey, cool
cars and of course the face of Constantine that dominates the film like a
giant Chesire cat grinning at the world around him.
