Gaston Jacquet Movies
- 1939
This poignant drama peeks in at the lives and relationships between elderly thespians living in an actors' retirement home. The home is almost bankrupt and so the actors must support themselves. The residents include a faded sex symbol, an intellectual actor who kept a great distance between himself and the audience, and a depressed thespian who tries to conceal the fact that he was only an understudy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel Simon, Madeleine Ozeray, (more)
- 1936
Filmed in Czechoslovakia, this French-language adaptation of the oft-filmed Jewish folk tale The Golem was one of the most expensive productions ever made in that country. The story, which some have cited as a precursor to Frankenstein, is set in Prague's Jewish Ghetto. Fearing an anti-Semitic pogrom at the hands of Emperor Rudolf (Harry Baur), Rabbi Jacob (Charles Dorat) magically brings a statue to life to protect his people from harm. Known as "Die Golem," the living statue (Ferdinand Hart) does indeed save the Jews from destruction, but in so doing becomes a creature of destruction itself -- until it is tamed by the one person who does not fear him. The American release print of The Golem retained most of its spectacle, but several of the more bloodcurdling scenes -- including a lengthy torture-chamber episode -- were removed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Germaine Aussey, Jany Holt, (more)
- 1932
Popular French comedian Tramel plays a dual role in the hectic comedy Barranco. Actually, Tramel is the same person throughout; he just pretends to be two different people. Arrested for vagrancy, our hero is set free when it is learned that he has inherited a valuable silver mine in Mexico. Though he doubts that he's the genuine heir, Tramel plays the role to the hilt, adopting a pretty daughter and investing his millions in a can't-miss stock deal. When the deal does miss, Tramel is rescued by the timely arrival of his level-headed nephew, who ends up marrying the foster daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosine Derean, Tramel, (more)
- 1932
Director Julien Duvivier's first talking picture, David Golder was based on a novel by Irene Nemirowsky. Harry Baur plays the title character, a poor but enterprising Polish Jew who re-invents himself as a powerful New York business magnate. Now a millionaire, Golder relocates to Paris, while his profligate wife and daughter spend his money at an exhausting rate in Biarritz. When he tries to curb their spending, his wife spitefully tells him that she has been unfaithful for years and that his beloved daughter is not his child. She further dares him to "do something" about her appalling behavior. Golder gets his revenge by deliberately allowing his business to collapse, forcing his wife to take drastic measures to recoup her wealth. As a final touch, Golder enters into an oil deal that will net him a fortune then signs over all the money to his daughter -- on the proviso that his wife is cut off without a penny. This done, David Golder dies in self-imposed poverty, having learned a bitter lesson about money and happiness. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jackie Monnier, Paule Andral, (more)
- 1931
Le Requisitoire is the French-language version of the 1931 Paramount drama Manslaughter. Though Claudette Colbert, the star of the original film, was fluent in both French and English, her role was taken over in this version by Marcelle Chantal. The heroine is a spoiled-rotten heiress whose reckless driving causes the death of a motorcycle cop. Despite her money and influence, she is sentenced to prison, where for the first time in her life she is denied preferential treatment. Vowing revenge against the moralist DA who put her behind bars, she ends up falling in love with him instead. Le Requisitoire, like its American counterpart, was based on a novel by Alice Duer Miller, previously filmed by Cecil B. DeMille in 1922. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marcelle Chantal, Helena Manson, (more)
- 1931
Based on Victory, a novel by Joseph Conrad, Dans Une ile Perdue (Desert Island) is the French-language version of the 1930 Paramount production Dangerous Paradise. Running far afield from the Conrad original, the plot finds heroine Alma, a violinist, fleeing from the lecherous advances of the villainous Schomberg and Wilson. She stows away on a skiff owned by the handsome Heyst, who then embarks on a gold-finding expedition. Alma's pursuers catch up with Heyst, leading to a round-robin of greed, treachery and murder. The stars of Dangerous Paradise were Nancy Carroll as Alma and Richard Arlen as Heyst; filling these roles in Dans une ile Perdue are Daniele Parola and Enrique Rivero. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daniele Parola, Marguerite Moreno, (more)
- 1930
Chemin de Paradis (Road to Paradise) is the French-language version of the incredibly successful German musical comedy Die Drei von der Tankstelle, with Lillian Harvey repeating her role as flirtatious young heiress Liliane. The plot still revolves around three young men who try to square their mountain debts by opening a roadside gas station. Unbeknownst to the other two, each of the three heroes falls madly in love with Liliane, their best customer. The heroine reciprocates by arranging for her wealthy father to organize a huge gas company, thereby guaranteeing the long-range profitability of the gas station. The boys aren't happy to be beholden to Liliane, but one of them swallows his pride long enough to marry the girl. For the benefit of Lilian Harvey's Gallic fans, Chemin de Paradis includes several revue-like musical numbers not seen in the original German version. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lilian Harvey, Jacques Maury, (more)
- 1930
Flame of Love is the English-language version of the German melodrama Hay Tang. Anna May Wong repeats her role as Hai Tang, a Chinese girl in love with dashing Russian officer Lt. Boris (John Longden). Trouble arises when Boris's commanding officer, the Grand Duke (George Schnell), also develops a yen for the heroine. Hay Tang's brother Wang Hu (J. Leyon) resents the Duke's advances toward his sister and shoots the rapacious aristocrat. To save her brother from execution, Hay Tang promises to remain as the Grand Duke's mistress, forever dashing her hopes for happiness with Boris. Hay Tang was also filmed in a French version, again with Anna May Wong. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anna May Wong, John Longden, (more)
The French Prix de Beaute stars cult figure Louise Brooks as a nondescript typist for a Parisian newspaper. On a whim, Brooks submits her photograph to the Miss France Contest. To everyone's amazement--and her boyfriend Andre's (Georges Charlia) displeasure--she wins the contest, and is sucked into a whirlwind of photo ops and interviews at the Miss Europe contest in Spain. Here she is confronted by Andre, who angrily demands that she give up this foolishness and return home. But the lure of fame and fortune is much too strong, and before long Brooks has signed a movie contract. The heart-stopping tragic climax brilliantly juxtaposes the image of the dead Brooks with her "live" screen image. Not as highly regarded as Louise Brooks' German films for G. W. Pabst, Prix de Beaute nonetheless succeeds in terms of visual dynamics and the naturalness of the star's performance. Available in both sound and silent versions, the film never received a formal American release. Augusto Genina replaced the film's original director Rene Clair during the pre-production stages. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louise Brooks, Georges Charlia, (more)
- 1929
Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin) was director Augusto Genina's sole cinematic contribution for 1928. Ivan Petrovitch is cast as Ralph, a wealthy young man who is invited to the artists' ball in Paris' Latin Quarter. Here he meets lovely aspiring painter Louise (Carmen Boni), with whom he instantly falls in love. Pretending to be an artist himself, Ralph leads Louise to believe that he is as poor as she, hoping that she'll love him for himself rather than his money. The truth comes out when Ralph is briefly distracted by a vampish young model (Gina Manes). Convinced that Ralph has gone off to Italy with his new "conquest," Louise falls seriously ill but immediately recovers when her sweetheart rushes back to her bedside. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carmen Boni, Gina Manès, (more)
- 1928
American actor Ricardo Cortez played the leading male role in the French production The Orchid Dancer (La Danseuse Orchide). Louise Legrange stars as Luicha, who returns from Paris to her home village in the Pyrenees. Luicha has told her friends and family that she has been working as a governess, but her childhood sweetheart Yoanes (Cortez) discovers to his horror that the girl has been supporting herself as an exotic dancer known as "The Orchid." Worse still, Luicha is the kept woman of a wealthy wine salesman. Thoroughly disillusioned, Yoanes drifts from job to job, finally ending up as a movie-studio extra. Here he befriends gorgeous film star Marise (Xenia Desni), who enables Yoanes to become a top cinema leading man under the nom de film of Jean Barliave. Now in love with Marise, Yoanes/Jean doesn't quite know how to react when he crosses paths with Luicha again. The story goes off on a melodramatic tangent when Yoanes is seriously injured in a nightclub fire then nursed to back to health by the repentant Luicha. Despite all indications to the contrary, the film closes on an upbeat note. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louise Lagrange, Ricardo Cortez, (more)
