In this classic adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, a tortured train engineer falls in love with a troubled married woman who has helped her husband commit a murder.In this classic adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, a tortured train engineer falls in love with a troubled married woman who has helped her husband commit a murder.In this classic adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, a tortured train engineer falls in love with a troubled married woman who has helped her husband commit a murder.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Pecqueux
- (as Carette)
- Roubaud
- (as Ledoux de la Comédie Française)
- Dauvergne
- (as Gerard Landry)
- Philomène Sauvagnat
- (as Jenny Helia)
- Victoire Pecqueux
- (as Colette Regis)
- Une voyageuse
- (as Claire Gerard)
- Tante Phasie
- (as Germaine Clasis)
- Grandmorin
- (as Berlioz)
- Dabadie
- (as Cortegianni)
- Un lampiste
- (as Perez)
- Commissaire Cauche
- (as Roussel)
- Un lampiste
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Émile Zola
- Jean Renoir(uncredited)
- Denise Leblond(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJean Gabin learned how to operate a locomotive before shooting.
- GoofsAt about the 0:28:00 mark the boom mic shadows moves on the far left wall.
- Quotes
Jacques Lantier: Pecqueux, I have to tell you something. Don't say a word and don't move. I killed her. That's right, I killed her. It's all over. I'll never see her again. It'll be the death of me, I know it. I couldn't bear to hold her anymore. I loved her, you know? I loved her little hands most of all. But there's one thing I don't get: why haven't they arrested me?
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA srl, "LA BÊTE HUMAINE (L'angelo del male, 1938) + VERSO LA VITA (1936)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
The story in "La bete humaine" is a bit shaky. Simone Simon (also known from "Cat people" (1942, Jacques Tourneur)) is the femme fatale, seducing a couple of men. These men need to be totally blinded by love however not to see through her real intentions.
The strong part of the movie is the way it portrays the railroad community of those days. The collegue is not merely a collegue but a friend. The locomotive has a name and is treated as nearly a living creature. Because the train table makes it impossible that everyone returns to his post at the end of a working day, there are special pensions for railroad staff. The film emphasizes the camaraderie between the men in those pensions where the book from Zola more accentuates the diffuclties men alone have to stay away from booze and women.
- frankde-jong
- Aug 6, 2020
- How long is La Bête Humaine?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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