Suzy Delair Movies
Lively French leading lady Suzy Delair was a cabaret singer before inaugurating her film career in 1947. Her screen assignments ranged from the sublime (1960's Rocco and His Brothers) to the ridiculous (1966's Is Paris Burning) to the sublimely ridiculous (1956's Fernandel the Dressmaker). Ironically, Suzy is best known to American filmgoers for what may well be her worst film. In 1950, Suzy Delair was cast as will-of-the-wisp chanteuse Cheri Lamour in Atoll K, the melancholy final film effort of ageing comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
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This comedy concentrates on the mishaps befalling bigoted Frenchman Louis DeFunes. While en route to his daughter's wedding, the outspoken DeFunes accidentally gets mixed up in an Arab nationalist uprising. Through a bizarre and nearly indescribable combination of events, the fiercely anti-Semitic DeFunes is forced to disguise himself as a Rabbi. The sociological statements in Mad Adventures of "Rabbi" Jacob, coscripted by director Gerard Oury, are pepped up with heavy slapstick. Initially titled The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob for its American release, this French film had the "Mad" tag attached when audiences evinced a lack of interest in what was perceived to be a religious picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis de Funès, Marcel Dalio, (more)
In 1944, with Paris on the verge of Liberation by the allies, Adolph Hitler ordered that the City of Light be blown up and burned to the ground. General Dietrich Von Choltitz, after much rumination, decided that he didn't want to go down in history as the man who destroyed Paris. His refusal to follow Hitler's orders would make him a pariah in Germany for the rest of his life; nor was his gesture ever rewarded by the Allies. From this very human story in the midst of one of the most inhuman conflicts in history grew the screenplay (by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola) of the all-star, internationally produced Is Paris Burning? Whereas the earlier The Longest Day was able to support a castful of celebrities and brief subplot vignettes, Is Paris Burning? seems more weighted down than weighty. Still, a modern audience will have fun playing "spot the star" throughout the film, especially when those spotted stars include the likes of Gert Frobe (as Choltitz), Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas (as Patton), Glenn Ford (as Bradley), Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Robert Stack, and even Anthony Perkins as a wide-eyed GI. Filmed on a gargantuan scale, Is Paris Burning? was based on a book by Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre. The film was lensed in black and white, save for the Technicolor finale (in the original road-show prints). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, (more)
- 1963
Ruthless and for some viewers, also vulgar and unpleasant, this uneven comedy by Marcel Carne has a madhouse of characters of dubious morals going through equally questionable antics. Their objectives are primarily self-serving. A former gangster (Paul Meurisse) is interested only in keeping birds -- and his take from his last heist to help him go straight. In the same house is Lucie (Dany Saval) who is supporting her Italian lover by sleeping with the butcher. Meanwhile, the butcher's wife has her own lover -- his assistant. Then there is the female custodian who is helping out an old biddy only with the intentions of getting her hands on the woman's rumored stash of cash. A few other seamy characters wander in and out of cheap bars and brothels as the lives of all these people suddenly come together when the police show up to arrest the ex-gangster. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dany Saval, Paul Meurisse, (more)
Luchino Visconti's operatic masterpiece tells the story of the Parondis, a poor family from a village in southern Italy who come to Milan seeking a better life. Following the death of her husband, proud Rosaria (Katina Paxinou) picks up stakes and moves to the city with four of her sons: Simone (Renato Salvatori), Rocco (Alain Delon), Ciro (Max Cartier), and Luca (Rocco Vidolazzi). Awaiting them in Milan is her oldest son, Vincenzo (Spiros Focas), who himself is preoccupied with his impending nuptials to the beautiful Ginetta (Claudia Cardinale). Divided into chapters focused loosely on each brother, the movie chronicles the Parondis' struggle to get by, as the brothers take odd jobs and the family endures life in a cramped tenement. Much of the movie's second half deals largely with Simone and Rocco. The loutish Simone eventually finds success as a boxer, and the family soon moves to a better neighborhood. Meanwhile, Rocco gets drafted by the military, and becomes a successful boxer himself upon his return. Complications arise when Nadia (Annie Girardot), a prostitute, enters their lives. Simone falls in love with Nadia first; however, Rocco eventually becomes the object of her affection. Simone's obsession with Nadia and his rapidly deteriorating behavior ultimately threaten to bring the family to ruin, even as the saintly Rocco tries to save his brother. At the peak of Rocco's success, Simone commits a crime that cruelly dashes Rocco's hopes of keeping the family together. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, (more)
- 1960
That fair city on the West Coast of America has almost nothing to do with this one-dimensional, undistinguished tale of a sexually evocative fifteen-year-old girl (Daniele Gaubert) and the man she wants to seduce. The man is a young lothario in her neighborhood, and she is shown doing her best to attract and keep his attention. She also spends illicit time peeking at a man in a shower and generally misbehaving for a teen her age. The father of the womanizing lothario once took off to race in the regattas in San Francisco and never returned, providing only a title but no added substance to the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Folco Lulli, Suzy Delair, (more)
Emile Zola's obscure novel entitled "L'Assommoir" has been made into several films. This is one of the best. In this two hour movie an entire mini-series worth of problems have been compressed about a young woman to whom life has dealt hard blows. Set in the 19th-century, this woman deals with an alcoholic husband while doing everything within her power to keep the family together. An incredibly depressing movie in which the protagonist keeps on trying no matter what besets her, the performances are creditable and the direction superb. Self-involved characters give viewers no one to cheer for, but this movie received multiple awards, ranging from Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival to an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. The music was composed by Georges Auric. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Schell, François Perier, (more)
- 1956
This Gallic farce is better known to "Late Late Show" fanatics as Fernandel the Dressmaker. Sure enough, horse-faced comedian Fernandel is cast as a couturier, permitting director Jean Boyer to trot out a variety of underdressed young ladies at the slightest opportunity. The plot concerns Fernandel's efforts to hide his vocation from his jealous wife Suzy Delair. When she does find out, she walks out on him, determined to teach him a lesson by taking up with other men. All is forgiven by fadeout time as both husband and wife divest themselves of their troublesome extracurricular romantic entanglements. Many of the film's best gags involve homosexual characters, and as such may not play too well when seen today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Suzy Delair, (more)
- 1954
The title of this French bedroom farce translates to A Fly in the Ointment. That "fly" is music-hall performer Lucette (Suzy Delair), the current girlfriend of rakish roue Bois D'Enghien (Noel-Noel). Preparing to marry into a wealthy and honorable family, Boris is bedeviled by Lucette, who refuses to break up their relationship. Her tune changes abruptly when a handsome millionaire enters the picture. Adapted from the stage play by George Feydeau, Un Fil a La Patte is all slamming doors, bedroom tete-a-tetes, and lines like "But mon cherie, I can explain everything!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noël-Noël, Suzy Delair, (more)
- 1951
Two Italian films directed by Mario Soldati were released in Europe within two days of each other. The first was the lighthearted musical comedy Je Suis de la Revue. The vivacious Suzy Delair, more or less playing herself, stars as a popular actress making a personal appearance in Rome. The actress needs a glamorous new outfit for the occasion, but her specially designed dress is stolen by a beautiful sneak thief. While the couturier searches all seven hills of Rome to retrieve the dress, the audience is treated to a series of specialty acts. Among the artists spotlighted are Gallic comedian Fernandel and African-American entertainers Louis Armstrong, Katherine Dunham and the Nicholas Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Suzy Delair, (more)
- 1950
The vivacious Suzy Delair, whose leading men ranged from France's Bernard Blier to Hollywood's Laurel and Hardy, stars in Lady Paname. Delair plays Caprice, a popular Parisian music-hall performer of the early 1900s. Caprice falls in love with a struggling young composer (Henri Guisol), leading to no end of misunderstandings and reconciliations. Louis Jouvet steals the show as an off-the-wall photographer whose "harmless" eccentricities spark the film's many subplots. Lady Paname represented the only directorial effort of actor/journalist/screenwriter Henri Jeanson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, (more)
In their very last feature film, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy travel to London so that Stan can claim his uncle's inheritance. All of the cash has been eaten up by taxes, but at least Stan is able to claim a tax-free island and yacht that his uncle has left him. Boarding the yacht (actually a run-down tub) in Marseilles, Stan and Ollie set sail for their island in the company of stateless refugee Max Elloy, who signs on as a cook, and Italian bricklayer Adriano Rimoldi, a stowaway. The little party is nearly torn to bits by a storm at sea, but the yacht runs safely aground on a newly formed atoll. Its population is increased to five when nightclub singer Suzy Delair, fleeing her domineering naval-officer fiancé Luigi Tosi, takes refuge with the other castaways. Laurel & Hardy and their friends live an idyllic, Robinson Crusoe-like existence until Delair's fiancé shows up. He announces he hasn't come to claim her, but to investigate reports that the atoll is rich with uranium. Indeed it is, and soon every nation in the world is clamoring to claim the island's radioactive deposits. Laurel and Hardy take quick action, declaring sovereignty over "Crusoeland." They then devise an anarchic government over which Ollie presides. Stan is relegated to the position of "The People." Comical chaos reigns when their "no laws, no taxes" policies attract the attention of various unsavory types, including rabble-rouser Michael Dalmatoff. Filmed over a period of 12 months, this expensive Franco-Italian co-production suffers from a too-complex plot, lazy direction, poor voice-over dubbing of the largely European supporting cast, and especially the horrible physical condition of Laurel, who was suffering from several life-threatening illnesses during filming. Fortunately, he regained his health after the production wrapped, as proven by his hale-and-hearty appearance on a 1954 installment of TV's This Is Your Life. Though some disciples of Laurel and Hardy will have a great deal of difficulty sitting through Atoll K, it does contain a few isolated moments of pantomimic brilliance and first-rate sight gags. Originally running 98 minutes, Atoll K was judiciously pruned down to 82 minutes for its English-language release. In Great Britain, the film was titled Robinson Crusoeland, while it was released as Utopia in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, (more)
- 1949
In the traditions of Jean Renoir and Jean Cocteau, Pattes Blanches is a heady mixture of stark realism and fairytale artifice. The title translates to "white spats", said spats being worn constantly by the wealthy, eccentric Fernand Ledoux. Already an object of derision from the villagers, Ledoux is in danger of physical assault when he begins making advances towards the girl friend of the town's saloon keeper. The lady in question is played by Suzy Delair, a vibrant actress who (as proven in this film) should not be judged by her lackluster performance in Laurel and Hardy's Utopia (1951). Pattes Blanches is a freeflowing adaptation of a play by Jean Anouilh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernand Ledoux, Suzy Delair, (more)
- 1949
Botta e Rispota is Tales of Manhattan, Italian style. A modish dress gets lost while being shipped from Paris to Rome. This single incident unifies a series of specialty turns by a variety of the top acting and musical talent in the Free World. Fernandel, Nino Taranto, Isa Barzizza and Suzy Delair are featured in the framing story. The musical numbers are handled by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Katherine Dunham and Borra Minnevitch's Harmonica Rascals. The preponderance of black entertainers in Botta e Risposta unfortunately precluded its widespread distrubition in some areas including the southern part of the United States. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Delair
- 1948
This French comedy offers a tour-de-force for Jouvet who plays most of the major characters. His main role is that of a super con-artist whose newest con involves selling museums to naive clients. He is assisted by many shady look-a-likes. Trouble ensues when one of his assistants is arrested and charged with the crimes of the gang leader. The other doubles must now work together to confuse the police and free their compatriot. The arrested one wins it all in the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, (more)
Following a three-year suspension from filmmaking after his Le Corbeau (1943) was judged too critical of his native France, director Henri-Georges Clouzot returned with this thriller that's equal parts crime drama and character study. Suzy Delair stars as Jenny Lamour, an ambitious music hall singer who wants to be a star and is willing to befriend the lecherous old men who ogle her act, inspiring the jealousy of Jenny's husband Maurice Martineau (Bernard Blier). One particular fan of Jenny's is a wealthy financial backer who extends repeated invitations to the entertainer to join him at fine restaurants and his expansive mansion. Armed with a gun, Maurice goes to the estate to confront his rival one night but discovers that the master of the house is already dead, his wife having smashed a bottle of champagne over his head to stave off a sexual advance. Soon, a gruff but dedicated detective, Inspector Antoine (Louis Jouvet) is on the case, with Maurice taking the heat for Jenny. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jouvet, Bernard Blier, (more)
- 1942
Director Henri-Georges Clouzot's maiden feature-length effort was the intricate mystery thriller The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (L'Assassin habite au 21). Businesslike homicide detective Wens (Pierre Fresnay) goes on the prowl for a methodical mass murderer, who seemingly manages to be everywhere at once. Following a confusing trail of clues to a seedy boarding house, Wens disguises himself as a clergyman in order to gain the confidence of the boarders, hoping that one of them will make "that fatal slip." All of the boarders are eventually taken into custody, only to be released when the murders continue unabated. Wens cracks the case when he figures out that the seemingly contradictory clues are the by-product of a bizarre conspiracy. Filmed in 1942 under wartime conditions, The Murderer Lives at Number 21 was finally released in the U.S. five years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Delair, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
- 1942
La Vie de Bohème is adapted from Henri Murger's libretto for Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème with the Puccini music relegated to the background. Louis Jourdan plays Rudolphe, the "starving artist" who falls in love with the beautiful but sickly Mimi (Maria Denis). As the tragic Rudolphe-Mimi romance plays itself out to its inevitable conclusion, director Marcel L'Herbier occasionally shifts focus to such supporting characters as painters Marcel (André Roussin), Schaunard (Alfred Adam), the philosophical Colline (Louis Salou), and the fun-loving Phemie (Suzy Delair). Some newly added scenes flesh out the character of Musette (Gisèle Pascal), tracing her progress from wealth to penury and wealth again. Perhaps the most famous filmization of this story is the 1926 La Bohème, starring Lillian Gish and John Gilbert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Denis, Louis Jourdan, (more)
- 1941
Six friends who have won a large sum of money decide to split their fortune and reunite in five years to share all the money they will have earned in the meantime. When the time comes, one of them gets killed on his way back to France. Another gets shot and his body disappears. Police inspector Wens (Pierre Fresnay) has to solve the case before all six succumb to the mysterious killer. Scripted by Henri-Georges Clouzot from the novel by Stanislas Andre Steeman, this mystery suffers from Georges Lacombe's routine direction. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Alfa, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
