Emile Drain Movies
- 1954
Sacha Guitry's Si Versailles M'Etait Conte (If Versailles Were Told to Me) is best known by its American title Royal Affairs in Versailles. In addtion to writing and directed the film, Guitry reserves for himself the plum role of Louis XIV. Concentrating on the palace of Versailles over a period of 300 years, the storyline concentrates on the various amorous and political intrigues of three French kings. The plot manages to wend its way through the French revolution, coming to a halt in "the present". The star-studded supporting cast includes Jean Marais as Louis XV, Claudette Colbert as Mme. Montespan, Micheline Presle as Mme. Pompadour, and, best of all, Orson Welles as a gouty Ben Franklin. Most currently available prints of Si Versailles M'Etait Conte are severely edited, and fail to do justice to the rich Eastmancolor hues of the original version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sacha Guitry, Michel Auclair, (more)
- 1946
For his first French film in nearly a decade (he'd spent the war years in Hollywood), filmmaker Julien Duvivier chose to adapt Les Fiançailles de Monsieur Hire, a novel by Georges Simenon. Panique, as Duvivier's version was titled, is a twisted tale of murder, subterfuge and revenge from "Beyond." Middle-aged loner Monsieur Hire (Michel Simon) falls for his neighbor Alice (Viviane Romance) only to be framed for the murder commited by Alice's lover Alfred (Paul Bernard). The ending suggests that the actual culprits are going to get their well-deserved comeuppance, though exoneration comes a shade too late for the luckless Monsieur Hire. The Simenon book was filmed again in 1989, as the excellent Monsieur Hire, directed by Patrice Leconte, a film as bleakly pessimistic as the original, more in keeping with the style and tone of the literary source. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Simon, Viviane Romance, (more)
- 1937
Originally titled Les Perles de Couronne, this Sacha Guitry historical extravaganza stars both Guitry and his wife Jacqueline Delubac. The plotline hinges on four valuable pearls, which pass from hand to hand over a period of several centuries, from the time of Britain's Henry VIII to the present. All of this is offered in flashback form, as a group of modern-day treasure hunters try to locate three of the missing pearls by tracing them back to their previous owners. Guitry shows up as King Francis I, Barras and Napoleon III, in addition to his contemporary persona of Jean Martin; Debulac is seen as Mary Queen of Scots and Empress Josephine. There isn't a scintilla of historical accuracy in the film, nor did Guitry have the slightest intention of including any; his sole purpose was to entertain the audience and serve up a superbly ironic denoument. The supporting cast is a polyglot of French, English and Italian actors, each speaking in his or her own language. The screenplay for Pearls of the Crown was cowritten by Guitry and another immensely talented filmmaker, Christian-Jaque. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sacha Guitry, Jacqueline Delubac, (more)
- 1936
Director Jean Renoir returns to the "people of the soil" of his previous Toni in People of France! (originally La Vie est a nous, or A Life for Us). Using a cast of nonprofessionals, Renoir pontificates on the dehumanization of the capitalist system. The film opens as a group of schoolchildren come across the fact that France is controlled by 200 wealthy families. As the kids put together a scrapbook detailing the lives of these movers and shakers, Renoir cuts away to the emotional damage wrought both intentionally and unintentionally by the insensitivity of the Elite. Not surprisingly, the film concludes with a rally of the French Communist Party. People of France! was in fact financed by the communists, a fact Renoir attributed to his eagerness during this period to work with anyone who espoused an anti-Nazi viewpoint (he also effectively disowned the picture, insisting that while he physically directed it, he really had nothing to do with it creatively). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Dasté, Julien Bertheau, (more)
- 1931
L'Etrangere (The Foreigner) is Mrs. Clarkson (Elvire Popesco), the wife of a wealthy American (Henri Debain). Mrs. Clarkson has entered into matrimony for the express purpose of accumulating a great deal of money. No, she isn't a spendthrift: She hopes to use the cash to finance a campaign of revenge, levelled against the man who seduced her own mother. Our heroine then makes it her mission in life to destroy all males who've caused the downfall and ruin of innocent females. Her campaign comes to an end when she falls in love with Mauriceau (Emile Drain), her husband's assistant, but there's no happy ending in the wings for this avenging angel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvire Popesco, Fernand Fabre, (more)
- 1923
Based on a 1907 play by Victorien Sardou and Émile Moreau, much ado was made of Madame Sans-Gêne when it was being filmed because it was a joint effort between the United States and France. The French government allowed the movie to be shot at various historical locations, including the Palace of Fontainebleau and the Palace of Compiegne. This historical comedy focuses on the title character (Gloria Swanson), a vivacious young washerwoman during the tumultuous times of the French Revolution. One of her clients happens to be a lieutenant by the name of Napoléon (Emile Drain). The lieutenant becomes emperor; meanwhile, the laundress becomes a duchess, and her coarse ways scandalize those around her. But she gets away with quite a lot -- after all, Napoléon still owes on his laundry bills! The release of Madame Sans-Gêne seemed to symbolize the glamour and spectacle of the '20s; while shooting the movie in France, Swanson had picked up a titled husband (the Marquis de la Falaise de la Coudraye), and the couple made a triumphant return to the States. At the time, she was making a thousand dollars a day -- an incredible amount for that era -- and not long afterwards she would turn down a contract for a million a year. Nevertheless, Madame Sans-Gêne is not one of her best vehicles. It was overlong, self-conscious about its historical significance, and the acting by the French players did not impress American critics. Like many epic costume movies, it most likely would have fallen flat without the drawing card of a superstar name. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Madeleine Guitty, (more)
