Jean Dax Movies
- 1939
Filmed during the war, this little-known Fernandel vehicle finally attained an American release in 1951. The star plays Lavarede, an obnoxious braggart and spendthrift who falls heir to his uncle's fortune. But there's a condition to the will: in order to claim his uncle's millions, Lavarede must first spend three months travelling around the world with but five sous to his name. Reportedly, the film ran into censorship problems with the provisional German government. Whatever the case, existing prints of Les Cinq Sous de Lavarde are obviously incomplete, with co-star Josette Day's role sliced into near-nonexistence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josette Day, Fernandel, (more)
- 1938
A pair of slippers is the plot catalyst for this rambling French comedy. Hoping to save the reputation of a philandering friend, do-gooder Beatrice (Betty Stockfield) drives all the way from Paris to Switzerland to return an incriminating slipper to its mate. Along the way, she is sidetracked by handsome Georges (Roger Treville). By the time Beatrice arrives at her appointed destination, she finds that her friend has already replaced the tell-tale slipper. Now she's got to get rid of that pesky third slipper-which isn't as easy as it sounds, and which results in all sorts of merry misadventures. The Slipper Episode is based on a story by Tristan Bernard, who appears briefly at the beginning of the film to "explain" the action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Stockfeld, Roger Treville, (more)
- 1938
Glory of Faith was also released as St. Theresa, The Little Flower, in keeping with its theme and subject matter. The life story of St. Theresa alternates with the modern-day story of one of her most ardent followers, a lowly Parisian seamstress. Taking a liking to the young child of her wealthy employers, the heroine is instrumental in rescuing the boy when he falls victim to kindappers. It is implied that the seamstress' ultimate triumph over diversity is a direct result of her unswerving faith in her patron saint. Jacqueline Francell gives a remarkable performance in the dual role of heroine Marie-Therese and the blessed St. Theresa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Tissot
Based on Idol's End, a novel by Claude Anet, the French Mayerling is based on the tragic real-life story of Hapsburg Crown Prince Rudolph and his mistress, Baroness Marie Vetsera. Since the details of Rudolph and Marie's lives and deaths are clouded in controversy, much of the film is romanticized speculation-with emphasis on the romance. The film establishes Rudolph (Charles Boyer) as a rebellious "man of the people", at eternal odds with his despotic father, Emperor Franz Joseph (Jean Dax). To keep him quiet and out of trouble, Rudolph is forced into an arranged marriage, and surrounded by Hapsburg informers and spies. In an effort to escape this oppressive atmosphere, a disguised Rudolph dashes off to a fair, where he meets the beauteous 17-year-old Marie (Danielle Darieux). Thus begins an illicit romance, which the lovers try vainly to keep secret from the prying eyes of the Emperor's flunkeys. One of Rudolph's enemies arranges for Marie to be taken away to Trieste for a "rest cure." Rudolph sinks into a drunken depression, snapping out of it only when Marie returns. They attempt to legitimize their love through marriage, but the Catholic hierarchy will not approve of Rudolph's divorcing his wife. Desperately, the lovers flee to Rudolph's hunting lodge in Mayerling. Here they spend an exquisite last night together, then formulate a death pact. The following day, Marie and Rudolph are found lying side by side-united in death. Transforming this grim story into a tender, moving romance was quite an undertaking, but the end result was worth it: Mayerling was a huge international hit, and the winner of several industry awards, including the New York film critics' "best foreign picture" prize. Mayerling was remade in surprisingly cold and distant fashion in 1968, with Omar Sharif and Catherine Deneuve. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Boyer, Jean Dax, (more)
- 1932
Monsieur, Madame et Bibi is the French-language version of the German comedy Ein Bischen Liebe. Jean Dax plays an American auto manufacturer who heads to Vienna on business. Presuming that the Austrian capital is the most romantic and enchanting place on earth, Dax is mildly taken aback to discover that Vienna isn't all that different from his own hometown. Comic complications ensue when Dax falls in love with the wife of his business manager, assuming that the woman is an unmarried secretary ("Bibi", incidentally, is not the name of the heroine, but instead the heroine's pet dog). Like Ein Bischen Liebe, Monsieur, Madame et Bibi is based on the stage farce Business in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Glory, René Lefèvre, (more)
- 1932
Based on a stage play by Robert de Flers and Francis de Crosset, this French comedy was also known as Our Lord's Vineyard. Victor Boucher plays Henri Levier, a typical Frenchman having a typical affair with the typical married woman. While drunk, Henri confesses all to the woman's husband. A disaster? Mais non, because our hero eventually finds a more agreeable romantic companion in the shapely form of his ex-lover's pretty sister. Victor Boucher's drunk scene is easily the highlight of this by-the-numbers Gallic farce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simone Cerdan
- 1932
Indefatigable French director Maurice Tourneur launched his three-picture schedule for 1932 with Au Nom de la Toi (In the Name of the Law). Marcelle Chantal plays the lovely but lethal head of an opium-smuggling ring. When Chantal orders the murder of a detective, another sleuth, played by Charles Vanel, is ordered to infiltrate her gang. The "heroine" falls in love with Vanel, thereby sealing her own doom. Among the many highlights is the near-surrealistic climax, in which the gang's hideout is bombarded guerilla-style with tear gas. Au Nom de la Loi was based on a novel by Paul Bringuier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcelle Chantal, Gabriel Gabrio, (more)
- 1931
During the 1814 Congress in Vienna, the crowned heads of Europe gather together to decide the shape (and fate) of the continent (which would hold -- with some serious cracks -- for exactly 100 years) and devise a strategy for dealing with Napoleon. The ordinary Austrians chafe at the cost of hosting these dignitaries, while the dignitaries find some of the efforts at entertaining them well-intentioned but absurd; the Russian czar Alexander (Willy Fritsch), for instance, doesn't understand why anyone would think he came all the way to Vienna to watch a Russian ballet. Meanwhile, the Austrian prince chancellor Metternich (Conrad Veidt) hopes to keep the Czar away from the congressional table by diverting him with a bevy of beautiful women. But Alexander is one step ahead of Metternich; the Russian leader has engaged the services of an exact double, Oralski (also played by Fritsch), to fulfill his least important social obligations. Into this game of political deception comes glove-maker Christel Weinzinger (Lilian Harvey), whose efforts at greeting the dignitaries (and promoting her shop) leave her mistaken for an anarchist, until the Czar -- advised of her beauty -- intercedes on her behalf. She ends up being romanced by both the Russian ruler and his double, until Metternich's intrigues and Napoleon's distant machinations combine to bring the focus back to official events. Filmed in German, French, and English-language versions, Der Kongress Tanzt was a worldwide success, and one of Harvey's most popular films. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch, (more)
- 1930
Veteran filmmaker Maurice Tourneur made his talking-picture bow with 1930's Accusee - Levez Vous (Accused - Stand Up) The story opens during rehearsals of a Parisian musical revue. The star, a fading actress hoping for a comeback, inaugurates a romance with the male half of a knife-throwing act. The man's female partner, overhearing the cooing couple, vows revenge on the actress. Sure enough, the star is killed onstage in the midst of a comedy sketch, with a knife sticking in her back. But is the "obviously" guilty party really the killer? And why was a gunshot heard at the moment the star fell dead? Perhaps the accused woman's defense attorney has the answer when he calls upon the theater's janitor to testify... Reviewers in 1930 cited the resemblances between Accusee-Levez Vous and the early Norma Shearer talker The Trial of Mary Dugan, though the French film was based on a novel by Jean Jose Frappa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Vanel, Gaby Morlay, (more)
- 1928
This first film version of Joseph Kessel's wartime novel L'Equipage was adapted for the screen by its director, Maurice Tourneur. The story focuses on the exploits of a French flying squadron, commandeered by lieutenant Jean Dax. A hothead and a nonconformist, Dax is roundly disliked by everyone except fellow officer George Charlia, with whom he becomes close friends. This relationship is doomed when Charlia falls in love with Dax's wife Camilla Bert. Under normal circumstances, Dax would "demand satisfaction" from Charlia, but war is war, and the two men are obliged to fly off together on a suicide mission. Only one of the two men returns, leaving Bert to grieve over the memory of the other. L'Equipage was remade by Anatole Litvak in 1935, and two years later was refilmed in Hollywood, again by Litvak, as The Woman I Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire de Lorez, Georges Charlia, (more)
