Have just finished watching "La Bete Humaine," which I'd not seen before, and while I enjoyed it, I'm not seeing how this film is considered to illustrate the beginnings of film noir. I admit up front that I don't know anything about French cinema. This film is definitely a tragedy, but I didn't feel an undercurrent of malice or evil, and while Simone Simon definitely smouldered, I never felt she was acting deliberately. Several darker themes are hinted at, but don't really seem to come into play, more suggestions as to why these characters behave as they do. Having just rewatched Akira Kurosa
