The final film directed by Maurice Tourneur, the father of American noir director Jacques Tourneur, Impasse des deux anges (US: Impasse of Two Angels) is a dreamy crime drama that harkens back to the style of French poetic realism so prominent in the 1930’s. Sometimes inexplicably labeled as a comedy, Tourneur’s film explores in part our tendency to romanticize the past, even when that past is impoverished and war-torn. Narratively, ex-con Jean (Paul Meurisse) is hired by a gang of thieves to steal a diamond necklace from a wealthy socialite. When Jean arrives at the home of the Marquis Antoine de Fontaines (Marcel Herrand) to do the job, he’s shocked to discover the jewels around the neck of the marquis’ new bride Anne-Marie (a radiant Simone Signoret) who was once — and remains — the love of Jean’s life. Stirred by the immediate reemergence of old feelings, Jean and Anne-Marie escape into the night, which spurs the watchful gangsters to give chase. Studio-bound Paris is given a dream-like atmosphere, the translucent figures of the lovers’ memories painted onto cozy cafes and outside dilapidated homes, while, back in the present, noir expressionism from cinematographer Claude Renoir, nephew of legendary director Jean Renoir, follows their escape through cobblestone alleys and war ruins. The perky, rococo interiors of the marquis’ Versailles-styled mansion offer moments of brightness, but rest assured this film is far from upbeat: indeed, the final line of dialogue is “It doesn’t matter.”