Françoise Rosay Movies
Parisian actress/singer Francoise Rosay enjoyed a starring career that spanned 61 years. After receiving her training at the Conservatoire National de Declamation, Francoise made her stage bow in 1908, originally intending to become an opera singer. In 1917, she turned to "straight" dramatics under the guidance of Jacques Feyder, whom she would later marry. Though she'd appeared sporadically in films since 1913, Rosay's first movie of note was Feyder's expressionist Crainquebille (1922). She came to Hollywood in 1929 to star in the French-language version of Norma Shearer's The Trial of Mary Dugan. She remained in California until multi-language productions went out of fashion in 1931; among her projects during this period was the German-language version of Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, in which she exchanged Teutonic witticisms with Buster Keaton. Rosay spent the World War II years in Switzerland, where she taught acting classes at the Conservatoire Geneve. Acting in international productions right up to her death, Ms. Rosay appeared in well over 100 films, delivering dialogue flawlessly in a multitude of languages. One of the best-loved figures of the French cinema, Rosay was the recipient of the Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur, and served on the executive boards of several arts-oriented organizations. Francoise Rosay was the author of two volumes of memoirs, Le Cinema notre Metier (1956) and La Traversee d'Un Vie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1930
Metropolitan Opera diva Grace Moore made her film debut in MGM's A Lady's Morals. The film purports to be the biography of "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind, who was ballyhooed to stardom by 19th-century showman P.T. Barnum (Wallace Beery, who'd re-create the role in 1934's The Mighty Barnum). Most of the story, however, is given over to the fabricated romance between Lind (Moore) and young composer Paul Brandt (Reginald Denny), who gives her up when stricken with blindness. As if this wasn't trouble enough, Lind loses her voice at the height of her career; she regains her golden throat, but Paul is lost to her forever. Grace Moore sings seven songs during the film's amazingly brief (75-minute) running time, two of them operatic classics. The anemic box-office showing of A Lady's Morals and her follow-up vehicles briefly squelched Grace Moore's hopes for film stardom, but a few years later she enjoyed enormous success in a series of Columbia musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grace Moore, Reginald Denny, (more)
- 1923
Based on a story by Anatole France, the silent Crainquebille was updated and directed by Jacques Feyder. Heavily influenced by the then-popular school of German symbolism, the film nonetheless bears traces of the French realism that would dominate the Gallic cinema of the 1930s. This 6-reeler stars child actor Jean Forest, whom Feyder would utilize to even better effect in his follow-up films Visage d'Enfants and Gribiche. The film, an essentially adult effort, is told from Forest's point of view, solidifying Feyder's expertise at directing children. Released in France in 1922, Crainquebille made the international rounds the following year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Cheirel, Maurice de Féraudy, (more)
- 1974
The Pedestrian (Der Fussganger) was the second filmed directorial effort of German actor Maximillian Schell. Billed third under Gustav Rudolf Sellner and Ruth Hausmeister, Schell plays Andreas Giese, a Krupp-like industrialist whose past suddenly returns to haunt him. A newspaper article reveals that Giese was responsible for the wartime destruction of a Greek village and the wholesale slaughter of the villagers. Whether or not Giese feels remorse for his actions is ultimately beside the point: his family is torn apart and his son kills himself as a result of the accusation. Here as in other films, Schell exhibits his fondness for female European film stars of days gone by: Elizabeth Bergner, Lil (Metropolis) Dagover, Francoise Rosay and Peggy Ashcroft appear in key minor roles. The winner of several international awards and a "best foreign picture" Oscar nominee, The Pedestrian was also produced and written by Schell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The friendship between two rival soldiers provides the basis of this comedy. The tale is set during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The soldiers meet while swimming in the same place. They become friends. When they get out of the water, they accidentally trade uniforms. Together they go to a farmhouse. There they meet an old farmer and his pretty granddaughter. They engage in friendly rivalry for the girl, go for another swim and get their proper uniforms back. They then bid each other adieu and return to their troops. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Femmes sans Nom is the second film in a proposed trilogy conceived by Hungarian director Geza Radvanyi (the first was Somewhere in Europe). In each of these three films, Radvanyi hoped to dramatically convey the plight of those left homeless and destitute by WW II. Femmes sans Nom is set in a relocation camp in Trieste, where hundreds of disenfranchised European women are huddled together. Prominent among these unfortunate souls is a former aristocrat, played by Francoise Rosay; a woman of loose morals, portrayed by Simone Simon; and an expectant mother, essayed by Valentine Cortese. After the lukewarm response to Femmes sans Nom, Geza Radvanyi dropped his plans for the third film in his "displaced persons" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simone Simon, Françoise Rosay, (more)
In a comedy-farce that runs from black humor to slapstick, this story is one in which a mystery writer is caught unawares by his cousin, a vicar, who shows up unannounced for a visit. Since the servants have just walked out, the writer's wife hides out from the vicar, taking care of the cooking, cleaning and other household chores. To explain his wife's absence as hostess, the writer concocts an excuse which only makes the vicar convinced that he has done away with his spouse. Things go from bad to worse and eventually Scotland Yard is called in to clear things up. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Simon, Françoise Rosay, (more)
- 1959
In this crime drama, a criminal mastermind and his gang plan to rob the Bank of Belgium during the Brussels Exposition as the roof of the bank is being repaired. Included in his gang are a woman, haunted by wartime memories, who loves money, her assistant, and a man pretending to be a construction worker who will help them get in. The woman owns a floating nightclub, and when she refuses to sell it to a gangster named "The Bug" real trouble ensues for the would-be crooks. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nadja Tiller, Robert Hossein, (more)
- 1931
Echec au Roi (The King Checkmated) was adapted from The Queen's Husband, a play by Robert E. Sherwood. The story concentrates on the amiable but ineffectual king (Emile Chautard) of a mythical island who gets more than he bargained for when his wife, the Queen (Francoise Rosay) decides to visit the U.S. While he dutifully accompanies the Queen to the States, a revolution breaks out in his own land. Adding to his headaches is the fact that his daughter, Princess Anne (Pauline Garon), insists upon marrying a commoner. Acting without the Queen's approval for the first time in his life, the King settles his island's internal problems and gives his blessing to his daughter's fiancee. Echec au Roi was the first French-language film to be released by United Artists; its English-language counterpart, The Royal Bed, had previously been distributed by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Rosay, Pauline Garon, (more)
- 1940
The English-language title of this stagebound French drama is They Were Twelve Women. The eponymous leading ladies run the full gamut age-wise, from twentysomething Micheline Presle to fiftyish Francoise Rosay. The story concerns the efforts of a dozen females from various walks of life to contribute to the war effort, renting a communal home for this purpose. The expected cultural clashes break out, most notably a war of words and wills between aristocratic Rosay and "loose woman" Gaby Morlay, but in the end all 12 women are solidly united in a common cause. Though it can't be proven, it is quite possible that Elles Etaient Douze Femmes was one of the principal inspirations for the American novel (and subsequent film) Tender Comrade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gaby Morlay, Françoise Rosay, (more)
- 1963
In this French drama, set upon the Riviera, a widow works a jewel thief on the side. She keeps this up until she meets a handsome gent. She soon cleans up her act. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The English translation of this French film is "It Won't Do To Take God's Children For Wild Geese." A young girl tries to double-cross a gun-toting gangster moll in order to make off with some stolen money. The mood of this feature is an uneven blend of comedy and satire complete with stereotypical underworld characters and an occasional narrative style. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Rosay, Bernard Blier, (more)
- 1961
Mrs. Cheney (Lilli Palmer) is a genteel widow whose outward appearances hide her involvement as a thief. With the help of her faithful butler, she steals diamonds from a wealthy matron. When she falls in love with a handsome international playboy, her thoughts quickly change from larceny to love in this light comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Carlos Thompson, (more)
- 1963
As young and penniless Rik roams about Rome, he finds lady luck on his side for a spell. Not only does he receive a bounty of coins from a weighing machine, but he also wins cash from a restaurant which awards him as its 10,000th customer. Not to mention the car. And the job. And the women. Before long, however, his luck changes, but not before he finds true love with a journalist. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Fritsch, Alexandra Stewart, (more)
- 1925
Gribiche, a 1925 French production written and directed by Jacques Feyder, was distributed in America three years later under the title Mother of Mine. Directed and designed in what has been described as an "art deco" style, the film showcased the matchless Francoise Rosay in her first important screen role. The story focuses on a miserably unhappy young boy who despises his stepmother and stepsister. The only thing the boy holds dear is the memory of his late mother, at whose grave he frequently worships and reflects. These melodramatic goings-on are laid against the spectacular tapestry of the Swiss Alps -- which, in the minds of some American reviewers, were more fascinating than the story itself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Rosay, Henry Duval, (more)
- 1957
Like many of his best works, filmmaker Douglas Sirk's Interlude is a remake of an earlier Universal soap opera. In this case, Sirk's source material is the 1939 Irene Dunne-Charles Boyer vehicle When Tomorrow Comes. Based on a story by (of all people) James M. Cain, the story concerns the romance between aspiring musician Helen Banning (June Allyson) and famed symphony conductor Tonio Fischer (Rossano Brazzi). Alas, Tonio is married, and his bibulous, vindictive wife (Marianne Cook) isn't about to give him a divorce. Meanwhile, stiff-necked American doctor Morley Dwyer (Keith Andes) waits patiently for his sweetheart Helen to come to her senses and return to his arms. Opulently location-filmed in Austria, Interlude was remade under the same title in 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Allyson, Rossano Brazzi, (more)
- 1936
Marcel Carne's first film as director -- one of seven collaborations with screenwriter Jacques Prevert -- was this average crime story. Francoise Rosay stars as Jenny, who manages a sleazy nightclub owned by the nasty Benoit (Charles Vanel). Jenny runs afoul of Benoit, as well as her own daughter (Lisette Lanvin), when she becomes romantically involved with gangster Lucien (Albert Prejean). Miffed, Benoit and his thuggish hunchbacked assistant (Jean-Louis Barrault) try to break up the lovers while Jenny's daughter competes for Lucien's affections. Carne had previously been an assistant to director Jacques Feyder, so it should come as no surprise that his first solo assignment starred Rosay, Feyder's real-life wife. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Vanel, Françoise Rosay, (more)
- 1945
Johnny Frenchman uses humor to drive home the point that, despite all previous rivalries and hostilties, the French and English should pull together during WW2. Aldwych farceur Tom Walls plays Nat Pomeroy, harbourmaster of a Cornwall fishing village, who is continually outsmarted by clever French fish poacher Lannec Florrie (Francoise Rosay). Pomeroy is further aggravated by the fact that Florrie's son Yan (played by French-Canadian radio favorite Paul Dupuis) is busily romancing Pomeroy's daughter Sue (Patricia Roc). But when the Nazis rear their ugly heads, the Cornish fisherman and the French miscreants band together to thwart the German menace. Many of the cast members of Johnny Frenchman are actual Cornish villagers and members of the Free French resistance movement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Rosay, Tom Walls, (more)
- 1951
Autant-Lara's L'Auberge Rouge (The Red Inn) is black comedy at its very blackest. The scene is a rustic little inn in a remote rural area of France. The inn's proprietors Pierre (Carette) and Marie (Francoise Rosay) industriously support themselves by murdering the various stagecoach passengers who stop over at the inn, and then keep their valuables for themselves. As the story gets under way, a coach full of delightfully eccentric types pulls into the inn's courtyard, ripe for plucking. One of the passengers is a Monk (Fernandel), who learns of the innkeeper's homicidal schemes but is bound by the rules of the Confessional to reveal this information to no one. How can the monk secure the safety of his fellow passengers without betraying his vows? His solution--and the wickedly ironic coda that follows--will linger in the memory long after the final reel of L'Auberge Rouge tumbles over the spools. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Françoise Rosay, (more)
- 1932
La Chance (Luck) was based on a story by Yves Mirande, who also supervised the production. Marie Bell plays Tania, a Russian widow who can't stay away from the gaming tables of the Riviera. A chronic gambler, Tania overextends her monthly allowance and is stone broke when she meets handsome surgeon Victor (Fernand Fabre). Convinced that Tania is interested in Victor only for his money, his best friend Gaston (Marcel Andre) tries to break up the romance. It turns out, of course, that Gaston is all wrong, and Tania is all right. And there's several songs in the bargain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Bell, Françoise Rosay, (more)
