La Bete Humaine (Directors Suite)

Based on a story by the great French writer Émile Zola, Jean Renoir's classic La Bête Humaine is the story of a murderous love triangle set on the Paris-Le Havre mainline. When station master Roubaud discovers his bride Séverine has been seduced by her godfather, he determines to murder him aboard the train. Strong-arming Séverine to help him, the pair are witnessed in this despicable act by the train's engineer Lantier, played by the illustrious Jean Gabin. Desperate to flee her husband, Séverine turns to Lantier, who is himself gripped by congenital fits of rage. With the roaring steam engines functioning as metaphors for the characters' unstoppable desires, can anyone control "the human beast"?