Port of Shadows on Arte: Gabin and Morgan in Carné and Prévert’s film

A deserter is trying to leave France, but an encounter with a young woman keeps him in Le Havre. Port of Shadows airs on Arte on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 8:55 p.m. Marcel Carné directs Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan in this 1938 French film, with the screenplay and dialogue written by Jacques Prévert.

Jean hopes to set sail for a foreign country. At the shelter run by Panama, he meets Nelly, an orphan under the control of her guardian Zabel, played by Michel Simon. Their relationship begins as each tries to escape their situation.

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The adaptation transposes the Montmartre of Pierre Mac Orlan’s novel to Le Havre. The Cinémathèque française places the film in the tradition of poetic realism and highlights the role of Alexandre Trauner’s sets in creating this port-side world. At 10:30 p.m., Arte continues the evening with the documentary Jean Gabin - War Isn’t a Movie.

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