The Impostor

press release: USA | 1944 | 35mm | 92 min.

Director: Julien Duvivier; Cast: Jean Gabin, Richard Whorf, Ellen Drew

During the German invasion of France in 1940, condemned murderer Clement (Gabin) escapes imprisonment and assumes the identity of Maurice LaFarge, a dead French army sergeant. After France’s defeat, Clement faces pressure to join resistance forces forming in North Africa and soon finds himself reborn as a natural military leader, rising in rank to Lieutenant. But Clement’s situation turns tricky when the fiancee and former comrades of the real LaFarge show up at the Free French Forces headquarters. The second of only two movies Gabin made in Hollywood during his wartime exile from Europe, The Impostor (sometimes known as Strange Confession) reunited the star with his frequent director and fellow expatriate Duvivier seven years after their international smash hit Pépé le Moko.

After a nearly 16-month hiatus, big screen movies are making their comeback at the UW Cinematheque’s regular venue, 4070 Vilas Hall! Beginning Wednesday June 30, the Cinematheque will commence six weeks of free screenings beginning with Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow, a classic tearjerker that was originally scheduled for April 2020. The summer lineup includes canonized comedies, action blockbusters, international thrillers, contemporary gems from Asia, the complete American works of French superstar Jean Gabin, a three-film salute to Charles Bronson in honor of his centennial, and more!

Summer programming will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings and all feature films will be screened from original or archival 35mm prints. Admission, as always, is free and open to the public. Seating will be limited and socially distanced according to current UW-Madison policies. When possible, additional showtimes have been added to accommodate more viewers. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.