To Know Paris is to Know a Great Deal - Last Known Address/Dernier Domicile Connu (1970)

Police procedurals of one form or another have been part of film and television since their respective inceptions  — but it was during the late 60s and 70s  that they were infused with a real anti-authoritarian streak and a pervasively bleak attitude. This proved to be a big hit with audiences internationally and cops-against-the-system films were churned out all over the world. José Giovanni’s Last Known Address/Dernier Domicile Connu is very much a part of that wave of pessimistic 70s crime stories but it also subverts the form in surprising ways. It features excellent performances from blog favorite Lino Ventura and the delightful Marlène Jobert but the premier star of this particular story is Paris — featured in exhaustive detail throughout. 

The opening of the film introduces Marceau Leonetti — Ventura — a tough cop whose competence and bravery land him a promotion to chief inspector. After a long shift Leonetti has the misfortune of coming across an erratically driving man and his terrified girlfriend. The man is apparently dead drunk and Leonetti places him under arrest. It is revealed that the man is the son of a powerful Parisian lawyer who is able to manipulate the system in such a way that threatens Leonetti’s job. To avoid a department scandal — Leonetti is busted down to desk duty in a sleepy suburb where investigating a case of stolen pigeons is the highlight of his day. An old friend on the force is able to recruit him for a special vice detail and he is partnered with a young auxiliary — Jeanne Dumas played by Jobert. The two orchestrate a series of sting operations at adult cinemas where they use Dumas as bait to ensnare serial harassers. The assignment isn’t glamorous but the two work well together. Leonetti and Dumas are then saddled with finding a missing witness in the murder case of an influential gangster. The other witnesses in the case have met unfortunate ends and this missing witness is the final chance for a damning testimony. No other investigators have been able to find this witness for years and it’s entirely possible that Leonetti and Dumas aren’t meant to either. Dumas thrills at the opportunity to do actual investigative work and what follows is just that. Leonetti and Dumas scour the city and the narrative delves into sometimes tedious minutiae of an investigation. To complicate matters — the gang of the accused murderer is tracing Leonetti and Dumas hoping that they can reach the witness first.

Last Known Address is an interesting chapter in cop films of the decade. It shares the anti-authoritarian bent of its American or Italian contemporaries — the system is clearly dysfunctional and obstructs the pursuit of justice. It also presents a similar picture of pervasive mistrust of societal systems — everywhere Leonetti and Dumas go they are faced with people who casually discuss their dislike of police. Unlike so many other police narratives — Leonetti and Dumas do not overcome systematic corruption or dysfunction by working outside the rules. Instead of becoming violent mavericks they lean into diligent, shoe-leather detective work  — combing through records, interviewing witnesses, and chasing down leads. Their investigation leads them all throughout Paris — apartments, hotels, second hand shops, pharmacists, cafes, schools — while the two develop a mutual respect and friendship. I can understand if some viewers find Dumas’ girlishness and Leonetti’s paternalism a bit cloying but I found them totally charming. This was helped in no small part by the charisma of the actors in these roles. The focus on urban locales, mystery, and the dynamic between the main characters made Last Known Address feel less like Dirty Harry and more like a subdued They Might be Giants. Diehard fans of hard boiled crime cinema may not find enough grit to satisfy them here — but the brief scenes of violence have impact and the ending is surprisingly grim.

There is a definite cynicism to Last Known Address that paints a picture of a society in decline where the competent and the good hearted cannot hold corruption at bay. What further complicates the message put forward is its director — José Giovanni. Giovanni had a criminal background, spent over a decade in prison, and was even placed on death row for a time due to his involvement in a triple homicide. Giovanni was publicly open about this part of his past and he channeled his experiences into a series of successful books and screenplays. Politically Giovanni was complex — arguing for the end of the death penalty and humane prisons while simultaneously defending conservative values and strong law enforcement. The final shot of Last Known Address includes the overlay of a quote from conservative poet Mihai Eminescu — national poet of Romania but also one celebrated by the right wing. Through this lens it’s possible to see Giovanni presenting a Paris and a France degraded beyond the best efforts of the well intentioned. A reactionary portrait met more with melancholy than the ferocity of his international contemporaries. Later in his life it was made public that Giovanni was also a collaborationist and a member of fascist gangs during World War II before he went to prison. Not only was he involved in murder but he was also involved with extorting Jews during the Nazi occupation — it’s a past demonstrating the extremes of cynicism and degradation. How such a person credibly indicts society is hard to rationalize.

Giovanni's biography aside — I think Last Known Address is an interesting text and a genuinely entertaining mystery story. The Parisian photography is magnificent and provides endlessly engaging scenes for fans of the city. Ventura and Jobert are immensely appealing together and the rest of the cast is filled with faces that will be familiar to French crime cinema enthusiasts — Michel Constantine, Paul Crauchet, Philippe Marche, and others. The original soundtrack from François De Roubaix is excellent — jazzy and propulsive with a fairly hard hitting main theme. I’m not certain how Last Known Address was received at the time but it definitely feels underseen now. It’s an easy recommendation to French crime or neo-noir fans and one I was able to see via Kanopy. I could see this being a great release for Kino Lorber and I would certainly like to have a copy in my collection.