Rent La Bete Humaine (1938)
3.8 of 5 from 124 ratings
1h 36min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Charting the turbulent relationship between a train-driver and a married woman as they plot to kill her husband, Renoir's adaptation of Emile Zola's classic novel is often cited by critics as one of the director's greatest films. Made at the height of Renoir's 1930s poetic realism period, the film also has shades of film-noir with its sexually charged story and self-destructive, hard-boiled anti-hero. Featuring a truly unforgettable performance by Jean Gabin as Lantier, the tormented train-driver, 'La Bete Humaine' was one of Renoir's biggest successes and is just as compelling today as when it was first released.
- Actors:
- Jean Gabin, Julien Carette, Simone Simon, Fernand Ledoux, Blanchette Brunoy, Gérard Landry, Jenny Hélia, Colette Régis, Claire Gérard, Charlotte Clasis, Jacques Berlioz, Tony Corteggiani, André Tavernier, Marcel Pérès, Jean Renoir, Jacques Roussel, Jacques Beauvais, Jacques Becker, Jacques B. Brunius, Marguerite de Morlaye
- Directors:
- Jean Renoir
- Producers:
- Raymond Hakim, Robert Hakim
- Writers:
- Émile Zola, Jean Renoir
- Aka:
- Judas Was a Woman / The Human Beast
- Studio:
- Optimum
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 100 Years of German Expressionism, A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, Film History, Holidays Film Collection, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Jean Renoir, Top 10 Films About Trains: Thrillers, Top 10 French-Language Remakes, Top 10 Screen Kisses (1896-1979), Top Films
- Countries:
- France
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Reviews (2) of La Bete Humaine
La Bete Humaine - La Bete Humaine review by CP Customer
Superbly tense, wonderful footage of steam trains, and very atmospheric. We think Hitchcock must have admired this classic film because there are parallels in his work.
Thank you Cinema Paradiso for sourcing this one.
Mel and Alice
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Pre-Noir on Rails - La Bete Humaine review by griggs
La Bête Humaine really got under my skin. Based on Zola’s novel, Renoir’s film is a tragic love triangle wrapped in the screeching metal of modernisation. It was noir before noir had a name. The first 30 minutes take their time setting the scene, but it's properly gripping once the plot kicks in. What starts as a murder story becomes something darker — about obsession, violence, and people trapped by their own urges. It’s rough, emotional stuff, and Jean Gabin is brilliant as the tormented train driver. Murder, madness, and machines — it’s all there, clattering along like a runaway train.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.