Wicked City (1949)

Interesting facts

Wicked City is a 1949 French crime film directed by François Villiers and starring the husband-and-wife team of Jean-Pierre Aumont and Maria Montez. It was Montez's first film in Europe.

Production

Aumont served with the Free French army during World War II and was wounded by shrapnel near Marseilles in 1944. While recuperating, he read the novel Hans le marin by Edouard Peisson, and in 1946 he, his wife and his brother François Villiers visited Peisson to negotiate to purchase the film rights. Aumont was to write the script, Villiers was to direct and Montez and Aumont would star.

Andre Sarrut of Safia Productions agreed to pay the production costs of the film, up to 80,000 francs (then US$250,000). Aumont was to produce through his company with Montez, Christina Productions. Christina provided the services of Aumont, Montez and Lilli Palmer; in exchange, Christina's share would be paid off first out of American box-office receipts.

Filming began in Marseilles in July 1948. Approximately 60% of the film was shot on location, with the remainder filmed at the Joinville Studios in Paris.

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