Monsieur Hire ***** (1989, Michel Blanc, Sandrine Bonnaire, Luc Thuillier) – Classic Movie Review 8,725

Director Patrice Leconte’s dazzlingly stylish French romantic crime thriller film 1989 Monsieur Hire stars Michel Blanc as the aged, troubled, lonely Monsieur Hire, who falls for the disrobed, obscure object of desire, Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire), a young woman he has been peeping at across the courtyard.

Monsieur Hire, a bachelor who works as a tailor, talks to no one but is a people watcher, and spends his evenings secretly spying on Alice, who has moved into the building opposite his and never closes her blinds.

Alice (Bonnaire) eventually discovers the truth about Monsieur Hire (Blanc)’s Peeping Tom voyeurism and soon they are mixed up in a murder plot together.

Monsieur Hire is extremely creepy and compelling, with beautiful acting and exciting visuals shot by Denis Lenoir. It is a hugely confident piece from Leconte, who paces through the story in only 81 minutes, and there is an excellent score by Michael Nyman to accompany it.

The screenplay by Patrice Leconte and Patrick Dewolf, is based on a Georges Simenon novel, Les Fiançailles de Monsieur Hire, filmed before as Panique [Panic] in 1946. [Fiançaille = Engagement]

Also in the cast are André Wilms, Luc Thuillier, Philippe Dormoy, Marielle Berthon and Eric Bérenger.

Monsieur Hire is directed by Patrice Leconte, runs 81 minutes, is written by Patrice Leconte, based on the novel Les Fiançailles de M. Hire by Georges Simenon, is shot by Denis Lenoir, is produced by Philippe Carcassonne and René Cleitman, and is scored by Michael Nyman.

It was released on 24 May 1989.

Les Fiançailles de M. Hire (Monsieur Hire’s Engagement) is a 1933 short novel by Belgian writer Georges Simenon in 11  chapters using third-person narrative.

The cast are Michel Blanc as Monsieur Hire, Sandrine Bonnaire as Alice, Luc Thuillier as Emile, André Wilms as Inspector, Philippe Dormoy, Marielle Berthon and Eric Bérenger.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8,725

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