Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Made in 1938, this was the first in a run of richly atmospheric, doom-laden dramas from director Marcel Carné and writer Jacques Prévert that so potently distilled the mood of pre-WW2 France that they were blamed for the country’s defeat.

Jean Gabin’s an army deserter on the run in the titular foggy port, Michèle Morgan’s the sad-eyed waif he takes under his wing, while Pierre Brasseur and the great Michel Simon make a creepy pair of villains. Masterly studio sets and luminous lensing make a package of sheer class. Predictably, all ends tragically. But mondieu, doesn’t it look sublime?