The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue) and André Cayatte (adaptation), based on the novel by Roger Vercel.

André is the dedicated captain of a tugboat, his mission being to salvage vessels in distress before competitors do, but his wife Yvonne is weary of being a sea-widow and wants him to spend more time with her.

[3] When Catherine and André meet on a beach, this scene represents “liberty without limits” a contrast to the entrapment of Yvonne's apartment and the rigors of Andre's position as captain.

Akin to other filmmakers given to experimentation and the avant-garde, Grémillon "was inclined to liken cinema to poetry and music, rather than to other narrative art forms.

Only upon the insistence of lead actor Jean Gabin was the nationally beloved and celebrated poet Jacques Prévert recruited for the film's scriptwriting, who would in turn replace the previous attempts of Charles Spaak and then André Cayette.

"[8] Gabin's celebrity, as well as his singular proficiency in bringing to life the sort of male character typical of a Grémillon film, found a harmonious match with up-and-coming co-lead Michèle Morgan.

Aside from the vocational competence shared by each, the actors' on-screen chemistry evidently found some basis within their personal, off-screen lives.

Although the film could stand confidently upon the capabilities and public recognition of its cast, the release of Remorques unhappily coincided with the then recent invasion and occupation of the Third Reich.

[10] In the end, however, the film would win its deserved acclaim and would secure "Grémillon's place as one of France's leading filmmakers during its darkest years.