Marcel Carné (1906-1996) was an influential French director, a pivotal figure in poetic realism in cinema. His career peaked between the 1930s and 1940s, often in collaboration with screenwriter Jacques Prévert.

His masterpieces include **"Quai des brumes"** (Port of Shadows, 1938), **"Le Jour se lève"** (Daybreak, 1939), and **"Les Enfants du paradis"** (Children of Paradise, 1945), often considered one of the greatest French films of all time.

His style is characterized by a melancholic and fatalistic atmosphere. Carné portrayed solitary and unfortunate characters, driven by an ineluctable fate, often immersed in bleak but evocative urban settings. His films explore themes such as tragic love, disillusionment, and the poetry of marginal life, all enhanced by Prévert's lyrical dialogues.