La baie des anges (1963)

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   Siskoid

   Jacques Demy's Bay of Angels starts with an ominous shot - the camera speeding away from Jeanne Moreau, as if it knows to run from her. Not so the young man who is introduced to gambling and to her on the same outing. The film is both about gambling addiction and this whirlwind romance, and both are treated the same. The roulette wheel's mysteries brings highs and lows which create a push and pull between excitement and regret. So does the relationship. Complicity feels great, but Moreau's self-loathing only leads to toxicity. For her, the game's the thing. For him, she and gambling are ultimately linked - quitting one means quitting the other. If Demy is nevertheless operatic here, it's largely thanks to Legrand's great score, because otherwise, La Baie des Anges is a realistic, even dark affair. He manages to make the roulette wheel both dangerously glamorous, but also fill you with expected dread at its results. And that ending? Seems pretty clear-cut, but it isn't. I don't want to spoil it, but it's worth examining what we feel in that moment. 3 years ago

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