L'etrange Monsieur Steve (1957)

A naive bank clerk (Philippe Lemaire) struggling with money problems strikes up a friendship with an elegant con man (Armand Mestral) named Steve. Soon he finds himself seduced by Steve's wife (Jeanne Moreau), blackmailed by Steve's partner (Lino Ventura) and way over his head in a life of crime. Based on the novel by LA REVANCHE DES MEDIOCRES by Marcel Pretre and adapted for the screen and directed by Raymond Bailly. This is a slice of French noir with doses of black humor (the butler polishes guns instead of silver) and all the usual noir trimmings. This film came out the year before Moreau's international breakthrough with Malle's ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS and she's perfectly cast here as the requisite femme fatale. But truthfully, Hollywood did this stuff so much better. One feels sorry for Lemaire's dupe at first but when he doesn't wise up, you stop caring about him. I mean how many times does one need to get kicked in the teeth before he opens his eyes? Still, it's quite enjoyable and I wouldn't mind seeing a remake done with a little more finesse. The dreadful underscore by Philippe Gerard undermines the film. With Anouk Ferjac and Jacques Varennes.