Robert Hossein’s third film Toi.. le Venin was released to American audiences with a much more direct film title – either Nude in a White Car, as its reproduced here on the Radiance Films Wicked Games boxset, or by Blonde in a White Car, to similar but less lascivious effect. Like his debut The Wicked Go to Hell, this film noir is also adapted from a story by the French writer Frédéric Dard, and it can best be summarized as a man so obsessed with a one-night stand and mystery breasts seen only in the moonlight that he abandons his entire life to figure out the mystery of whom he slept with. There’s more to the picture than just this surprisingly forward-thinking idea, involving two blonde sisters – both with long flowing tresses that could have been behind the wheel of the car – living together while managing a polio-induced disability. While Nude in a White Car seems to again embody the immediate elements of what we now consider noir, the end result is something a bit more nuanced considering the overall lack of criminality throughout the plotline.
The film follows Hossein’s character Pierre Menda, a former TV host whose show was cancelled, leaving him an aloof bachelor trying to manage his money and his rent. After a chance encounter with the aforementioned nude blonde in a white car, he takes it upon himself to track down the owner – possibly because he’s smitten, or maybe because he wants to learn what kind of woman would have sex with him and then hold him at gunpoint. Whatever the case, he finds both Helene (Odile Versois) and her wheelchair-bound sister Eva (Marina Vlady) living together in a well-maintained manse and becomes embroiled in their life in a sort of love triangle.
Of course, the main conceit in Hossein’s film is which of the sisters did it, a mystery the film keeps close to its vest until the very end; and in some ways, it does feel like Nude in a White Car is steeped in a prudish propriety of its time to make this its central plot device. It seems a bit outlandish that Pierre would let this rather innocuous one night stand turn his entire life on its head, but the film also ensures that Pierre also becomes enraptured with both sisters quite quickly, especially the older Helene. Not only is there love involved; Pierre also stands to make out quite well in this predicament, being offered a job as the manager of the sisters’ new record store as well as getting to live rent-free in their spacious abode. While Pierre can be pretty thick-headed at times (perhaps intentionally – is this Hossein again commenting on the feminine power of the femme fatale or simply man thinking with his “other brain”?), one must also imagine the overall temptation of this prosperous serendipity.
All three of the major players are excellent here, with Vlady in particular delivering a stunning performance as a woman who has ultimately devoted her life to a mean-spirited prank on her sister all to get back at her for what she perceives as a lack of fatherly devotion. The film leaves all of the melodrama for the conclusion, provided in a major exposition reveal by Vlady; and to be fair, a lot of this probably should have been revealed in small nuggets throughout the movie with Pierre doing the investigating instead of all at once. Nude in a White Car is all too comfortable with being stolid for most of the runtime, relying on Vlady’s character for most of the dramatics. The three actors are certainly appreciated for leading what’s on the surface a perfunctory conceit; for the viewer, it almost becomes infuriating that Pierre can’t just come out and ask both women directly, “Which one of you was it in the car?” Then again, we wouldn’t have the underlying mystery of whether Eva can walk to increase the suspense.
Nude in a White Car is a curious affair. It circumvents a lot of the usual elements of the noir film while still providing a rather sexy, alluring conundrum. It’s a bit too slow, perhaps, and the final reveal feels sketched rather than masterfully drawn out; but still, it has a certain je ne sais quoi that keeps the viewer hanging on. And that risque opening scene is worth the price of admission alone, signaling that this isn’t your father’s noir of the ’40s but something more outre.
Blu-ray
Radiance Films has released Nude in a White Car in the Wicked Games: Three Films by Robert Hossein boxset, with a 2K restoration of the film performed by Gaumont. This looks extremely consistent with their restoration of The Wicked Go to Hell in this boxset, with a crisp and filmic overall look that brings about some excellent detail, especially in the film’s household background settings and the tweed jackets sported by Hossein throughout. The monotone saturation and contrast is excellent as well, accentuating Eva and Helene’s platinum blonde hair that is so important to the movie’s plotting. Film grain is moderate and never obstructive, even in darker sequences, and it resolves quite nicely in the film’s night settings.
Audio is the original LPCM 1.0 mono French soundtrack, which agains sounds voluminous and consistent throughout; the diegetic sounds of the jazz soundtrack that becomes a clue for Hossein’s character is also prominent. English subtitles are included and defaulted on due to the film’s French dialogue.
Like all of the films in this boxset, Tim Lucas provides a new audio commentary that is expertly researched and delivered in a pleasing, essay-like way. Throughout, he offers up actor filmography credits, discussions on the film’s themes and its context within the French noir genre, and even an evaluation of the owner of the faceless “body” during the opening’s nudity. Also included on this disc is an archival interview with Marina Vlady previously released by Gaumont in 2014; throughout the 8 minute interview she discusses her work on Nude in a White Car, her separation from Robert Hossein after working so much together, and working in a wheelchair throughout the filming. A new visual essay by Samm Deighan about the evolution of the femme fatale appears on this disc but could be appropriate for The Wicked Go to Hell as well; in about 16 minutes, she runs through the genesis of the trope throughout cinema history, and then specifically centering on Nude in a White Car and its placement within the noir subgenre. It’s a good look at the femme fatale movement but doesn’t touch on the more misogynistic interpretations of this movie. A trailer is also included.
This film shares its case with The Wicked Go to Hell and features reversible cover artwork.
Extra Features
- 2K restoration by Gaumont
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- NEW Audio commentary on each film by critic and author Tim Lucas
- NEW The Evolution of the Femme Fatale in Classic French Cinema – A visual essay by critic Samm Deighan (1080p; 16:39)
- Interview with actor Marina Vlady (1080p; 8:34)
- Trailer (1080p; 2:38)
Verdict
Nude in a White Car is certainly an interesting contribution to the film noir genre, depicting an intriguing love triangle and a particular sordid sexual affair. An excellent transfer and a variety of informational extras make this another great option in the Wicked Games boxset.
