‏Albert Valentin‏

Today ,Albert Valentin (1908-1968) is remembered as a screenwriter.And however, three of his movies are on a par with the best of the French cinema of the era."L'Entraineuse" (1938) compared favorably with "Waterloo bridge" as a model of melodrama.During the occupation days,he outdid himself and his two towering achievements should be considered classics today ,in a league with these of Clouzot."Marie-Martine " (1942)was constructed "in reverse",predating such works as "memento" by more than half a century."La Vie De Plaisir'(1943) told a story from two points of view ,seven years before "Rashomon";and this Bunuelian scene of a bishop blessing a pack of dogs remained memorable.Sadly ,like Clouzot's "Le Corbeau" ,'la vie De Plaisir" ,"deemed infamous, was banned at the liberation .His career as a director was virtually over after WW2,although his "Le Secret De Monte Cristo" (1948) was another unsung excellent effort:he told the true story on which Alexandre Dumas based his famous novel.Valentin was the lost great director of the French forties indeed. As a screenwriter,his work includes such classics as "Boudu Sauvé Des Eaux"(1932) "L'Etrange Monsieur Victor " (1941)and "Le Ciel Est A Vous" (1943)