Georges Chamarat Movies
Georges Chamarat was one of the most celebrated stage actors in Paris of the 1940s and '50s, and made his mark on movies in more than 100 screen roles, comedic and dramatic alike. Born in Paris in 1901, Chamarat joined the Odeon National Theater at age 28 and moved to the Comédie-Française in 1946, where he became particularly well known for his portrayals of Arnolphe in School for Wives, among other comic roles associated with Molière. He made his first film appearance in 1939 and received his first screen credit the following year, as Alexis in Le President Haudcoeur. He went uncredited in Who Killed Santa Claus (1941) and but, starting with Peches de Jeunesse (1941), moved up to ever larger roles and star billing. Sometimes billed simply as "Chamarat," the actor played major roles in La Main du Diable (1943), Une Histoire d'Amour (1951), Coiffeur pour Dames (1952), Julietta (1953), Le Boulanger de Valorgue (1953), Le Printemps, L'Automne et L'Amour (1955), Fernandel the Dressmaker (1956), The Adventures of Arsene Lupin (1957), and Premier Mai (1958), squeezing in an appearance in Diabolique (1954) as Dr. Loisy amid those star turns. In 1960, Chamarat turned in an especially beguiling performance as the mysterious, old magician in Arthur Lubin's The Thief of Baghdad (1960) (a role especially devised for him) with his own separate costuming and makeup design and a separate credit at the end. He continued to get starring roles in movies into the early '60s with titles such as Au Coeur De La Ville (1962) and appeared in one major international production, Up From the Beach (1965), 20th Century Fox's sequel to The Longest Day. On five occasions, beginning in 1955, the Comédie-Française company visited the United States, which brought Chamarat to American stages in performances of Le Malade Imaginaire, Les Femmes Savantes, and Don Juan. On the occasion of its 1970 visit, the 69-year-old Chamarat displayed a healthy sense of the absurd in equating Molière's work with modern life, as well as a quick comic wit in tandem with his fellow performers Françoise Seigner and Jacques Charon. The actor's movie credits extended into the 1980s, including miniseries and made-for-TV features, his final screen appearance coming in 1981 with L'Enterrement de Monsieur Bouvet, just a year before his death at age 81. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide- 1953
Fernandel plays the Raimu-like title character in Le Boulanger de Valorgue (The Baker of Valorgue). A young girl (Pierette Bruno) deposits a baby at baker Fernandel's doorstep, insisting that the child's father is the baker's own son, who is currently in the army. Despite his pronounced lack of patience, the baker dutifully hunkers down to the responsibilities of parenthood. The plot then segues into a labor-management clash and a community-dividing strike. Director Henri Verneuil offers a sharp, witty slant on small-town pretensions. Though Fernandel carries the ball comically, he is given a run for his money by scene-stealer Ardisson, cast as the dimwitted village postman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Georges Chamarat, (more)
- 1953
The innocence of childhood is juxtaposed with terror in Les Fruits Sauvages (The Wild Fruit). Estella Blain plays Maria, the oldest of three children of a drunken, sadistic father. Unable to endure any more abuse, Maria kills her father, then flees for the Italian border with her siblings in tow. En route, they are given food and shelter by enigmatic gypsy-girl Lolita (Talina Sauzer). She also experiences a brace of desultory love affairs. Eventually the authorities intervene, bringing events to logical if not entirely pleasant conclusion. Though Les Fruits Sauvages is uneven dramatically, the film succeeds by virtue of the unaffected performances of its youthful cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Estella Blain
- 1953
Julietta (Dany Robin) is not fond of the wealthy older man (Bernard Lancret) whom her mother has selected for her husband. Dreaming of a Prince Charming who will rescue her from this loveless marriage, Julietta believes that handsome attorney Andre (Jean Marais) is the man of the hour. Trouble is, Andre doesn't want to be the girl's savior, and goes out of his way to avoid her. Eventually, Andre helps smooth the path of true romance for Julietta and the man who is truly worthy of being her life partner. Based on a novel by Louis De Vilmorin, Julietta was released in the U.S. by Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dany Robin, Jean Marais, (more)
- 1952
Monsieur Fernandel plays the sheep-shearer, who makes a decision to say goodbye to the little lambs and to concentrate on the beautiful mademoiselles. Sacre bleu! It is tres funny (almost like the Jerry Lewis film, yes?) when Fernandel becomes the hairdresser, and begins clipping the ladies much in the manner of the sheep. And Fernandel's wife, she is not so happy over the many ladies that Fernandel is shearing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Blanchette Brunoy, (more)
- 1952
Newly married Daniel Gelin spends most of Adorable Creatures reflecting longingly on his previous amours. One of his past conquests was unhappy housewife Danielle Darrieux. Another was insatiable widow Edwige Feuillere. And yet another was avaricious Martine Carol (then married to director Christian-Jacque). Originally released in France in 1952, Adorable Creatures didn't get theatrical play in the US in 1956, and then only in a heavily bowdlerized addition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Darrieux, Daniel Gélin, (more)
- 1951
Une Histoire D'Amour served as the last starring film of Louis Jouvet, who died in 1951 at the age of 63. Jouvet is cast as Planche, a philosophical police inspector, investigating the suicides of two young lovers. Though he really doesn't have to, Planche delves into the past to find out what would motivate these two attractive people to destroy themselves. As he does so, their foredoomed love story is slowly revealed in a series of flashbacks. Dany Robin and Daniel Gelin are well cast as the star-crossed lovers, who play their scenes sincerely, with a minimum of movie-star histrionics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jouvet, Dany Robin, (more)
- 1951
Les Main Sales is based on the Jean-Paul Sartre play of the same name. The hero, Hugo Barine (Daniel Gelin), is a dedicated communist. Hugo suffers a crisis of conscience when he is ordered to assassinate his Marxist mentor Hoederer (Pierre Brasseur) at the behest of a more radical Red faction. It turns out that Hoederer is even more idealistic than Hugo, thoroughly understanding the "necessity" of his elimination in the scheme of things. At least, that's what seems to be happening; with Jean-Paul Sartre involved, one can never be entirely certain who's doing what to whom and why. Whatever the case, poor Hugo eventually learns to his dismay that most so-called revolutionaries are more concerned with power than proselytizing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brasseur, Daniel Gélin, (more)
- 1943
Despite the exigencies of the Nazi occupation of France, veteran filmmaker Maurice Tourneur managed to turn out a classic psychological horror film, La Main du Diable (The Devil's Hand). A variation of the Faust legend, the film's "Mephistopheles" is a smarmy Vichy-government civil servant, brilliantly played by Palau. When struggling artist Pierre Fresnay sells his soul, Palau binds the bargain by giving the artist a severed, withered, yet "living" human hand. Years later, Pierre, on the verge of death, is forced to learn the identity of the man from whom the hand was stolen, lest he burn in eternal damnation. The film's highlight is a nocturnal gathering of all the previous owners of the hand who unfold their tales of woe to the beleaguered Pierre. Eventually, the hand is returned to its rightful owner, an ending that is at once happy and tragic. Like most of Tourneur's best works, The Devil's Hand is far better seen than described (prints are available, though most are in deplorable condition). Completed in 1942, the film finally made it to the U.S. several years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Fresnay, Antoine Balpêtré, (more)
