The Alibi (1937 film)
The Alibi (French: L'Alibi) is a 1937 French mystery film directed by Pierre Chenal and starring Erich von Stroheim, Albert Préjean and Jany Holt. It has been described as a precursor to film noir. The film was shot at the Billancourt Studios and Epinay Studios in Paris. Location shooting took place at Trilport on the River Seine. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Eugène Lourié and Serge Piménoff The film was well received by critics on its release. It was released in the United States in April 1939 by Columbia Pictures. It was remade as the 1942 British film Alibi starring Margaret Lockwood and James Mason. Synopsis Professor Winckler, a stage thought reader, encounters an old enemy and kills him. He pays one of the hostesses at the nightclub he performs at to give him an alibi. A police detective is convinced that Winckler is the murderer and sets out to break the alibi. Cast Erich von Stroheim as Le professeur Winckler Albert Préjean as André Laurent Jany Holt as Hélène Ardouin Louis Jouvet as Le commissaire Calas Véra Flory as Une entraîneuse Foun-Sen as L'assistante de Winckler Génia Vaury as Une entraîneuse Made Siamé as La