Hôtel du Nord

Hôtel du Nord

Year: 1938

Runtime: 97 mins

Language: French

Director: Marcel Carné

RomanceDrama

A young couple’s suicide pact goes awry, leaving the woman to face her survival with a new admirer while pining for her lost love.

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Timeline & Setting – Hôtel du Nord (1938)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Hôtel du Nord (1938). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Hôtel du Nord, Paris

Hôtel du Nord is a busy, affordable lodging in a working-class district of Paris. The hotel acts as a crossroads where locals, travelers and vagrants cross paths, reflecting the social tensions of the city. Its rooms and corridors host the drama of love, crime, and escape that unfolds in the story.

🏙️ Urban 🎭 Drama 💰 Poverty

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:16

Main Characters – Hôtel du Nord (1938)

Meet the key characters of Hôtel du Nord (1938), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Raymonde (Arletty)

A sex worker who shares a room at the Hôtel du Nord and becomes entangled with Edmond. Resourceful and wary, she navigates the hotel’s social web while trying to protect her livelihood and future.

👗 Protagonist 🕊️ Survivor 🧭 Complex

Edmond (Louis Jouvet)

A pimp with a criminal past who uses the hotel as a base. He oscillates between self-preservation and a dangerous romance with Renée, plotting an escape while grappling with his history.

💼 Pimp 🕵️‍♂️ Cunning 🧭 Dangerous

Renée (Annabella)

A young woman rescued from a suicide pact who becomes involved with Edmond. She embodies resilience, hope, and a desire for a safer life, while the tabloids complicate her prospects.

💖 Hope 🕊️ Survivor 💬 Love

Pierre (Jean-Pierre Aumont)

Renée’s partner in a doomed suicide plan, whose fate drives the plot. He is impulsive and passionate, ending up in custody and shaping the moral outcomes of the case.

💔 Lover 🔫 Impulsive 🧭 Fateful

Le commissaire (Armand Lurville)

The police figure investigating the case and determining the fate of the central characters. He embodies authority and skepticism as the truth unfolds.

👮 Authority 🕵️ Investigation 🧭 Skeptical

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:16

Major Themes – Hôtel du Nord (1938)

Explore the central themes of Hôtel du Nord (1938), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Poverty & Desperation

The film centers on characters constrained by financial hardship, pushing them toward drastic choices. The suicide pact between Renée and Pierre exposes how poverty forces people to gamble with life and love. The hotel setting amplifies the social pressures that drive desperate acts.

🎭 Past & Consequence

Edmond's criminal history haunts him as he seeks to escape Paris and his old life. The narrative shows how past actions in a close-knit street community shape present decisions. The tension between secrecy and exposure drives the drama.

🏨 Community & Survival

The Hôtel du Nord functions as a micro-society where strangers become provisional allies. In a city full of noise, the hotel offers shelter and complicity, allowing relationships to form and unravel.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:16

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Hôtel du Nord Summary

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Hôtel du Nord Summary

Hôtel du Nord Timeline

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Hôtel du Nord Timeline

More About Hôtel du Nord

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Explore More About Movie Hôtel du Nord

Hôtel du Nord (1938) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Hôtel du Nord (1938) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Hôtel du Nord (1938) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow