Edwige Feuillère Movies
During the 1940s, actress Edwige Feuillère was known as the "First Lady" of French films and was known for the ease in which she could switch from playing sophisticated sexy ladies and cruel, self-centered seductresses. Born Caroline Yvette Edwige Cunati, she learned her craft in the Dijon Conservatoire and at the conservatory in Paris. She made her theatrical debut as Cora Lynn, playing small roles in 1930. In 1931, she became part of the Comedie-Francais after marrying actor Pierre Feuillère. She left both her husband and the troupe in 1933. By the time she came to films in the mid-40's Feuillère had become a distinguished, highly respected actress. In 1948 she played the Queen in Cocteau's The Eagle With Two Heads, a role he had written especially for her. Feuillère was equally at home playing in dramas and comedies; later in her career, she also appeared on French television and in London theater. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1931
Set in provincial France sometime in the 1870s, Mam'zelle Nitouche is put in motion by Celestin-Floridor (Raimu), the music master of a convent who secretly doubles as the composer of popular operettas. When our hero sneaks off to the city to witness the premiere of his latest effort, he is followed by convent-bred Nitouche (Janie Marese). Conveniently, the star of the show walks out in a temperamental huff, whereupon Nitouche is pressed into service to sing for the crowd, scoring an enormous hit. The trick now is to sneak back into the convent without alerting the authorities -- a trick that must be pulled off not only by Nitouche but by the sheepish Celestin-Floridor. Tragically, Janie Marese, who so charmingly played the title role in Mam'zelle Nitouche, was killed in an auto accident not long before the film's premiere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raimu
- 1932
Monsieur Albert (Noel-Noel) is the headwaiter of a fancy Parisian restaurant. Falling in love with the beautiful Sylvia (Betty Stockfield), our hero follows her to a Swiss vacation resort, where she mistakes him to be a member of royalty. With the help of a fun-loving European King (Baron Fils) who owes the waiter a favor, Albert manages to pull off his charade all the way to the alter. Amusingly, the main restaurant set bears a striking resemblance to a real-life Parisian dining establishment known as Albert's. The stellar French leading lady Edwige Feuillere shines in a subordinate role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Stockfeld, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1932
The "little lady in the train" is Meg Lemonnier, cast as Irene, the flighty wife of a bourgeois Parisian. Hoping to escape her husband for a rendezvous with her boyfriend, she pretends to board the wrong train. Things take an unexpected turn when the train on which Irene is supposed to be riding is involved in a terrible accident. Presumed to have been killed, our heroine is able to dally a bit longer than expected with her sweetheart -- but she's in for quite a few surprises when she returns home to tell her husband the truth. Top billing in Une Petite Femme dans le Train was bestowed upon Henri Garat, who shortly after completing this film headed to Fox Studios in hopes of establishing himself as a Hollywood favorite (he didn't, but not for lack of trying). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meg Lemonnier, Henri Garat, (more)
- 1932
Young jeweler's assistant Robert Arnoux is in love with Suzy Vernon, the daughter of his pompous employer Andre Berley. The boss hopes to bully the boy into giving up Vernon, but Arnoux gets even by pretending to swallow a valuable pearl. Hoping to recover the priceless gem, Berley is forced to accept Arnoux as his house guest. By the time Berley discovers that the pearl is safe, Arnoux has authored a successful play and become a millionaire -- and as such, a worthy son-in-law. Critics in 1932 likened Arnoux and Berley to Laurel and Hardy, though the resemblance is purely physical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Vernon, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1935
With director Abel Gance at the helm, the title character in Lucrezia Borgia exudes more sex appeal and wears fewer clothes than any previous screen incarnation of the infamous Florentine poisoner. Edwige Feuillere stars as Lucrezia, who learns her ruthless political cunning at the knee of Machiavelli (Aime Clariond) himself. Sold into a marriage of convenience by her craven brother Cesare (Gabriel Gabrio), Lucrezia soon holds all of 15th-century Florence in thrall. Her despotic rule is energetically challenged by tireless reformer Savonarola, who more or less functions as Abel Gance's alter ego (though Gance would certainly not have wished to meet Savonarola's grisly fate!) Filmed in 1935, Lucrezia Borgia ran into censorship problems in England (thanks to its implicit anti-Papal stance), Italy and Germany, holding up its international release for nearly two years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Gabriel Gabrio, (more)
- 1935
As indicated by its title, Baracole is adapted from The Tales of Hoffman. Gustav Froelich stars as Colloredo, who enjoys nothing more than boasting about his sexual conquests. A friend wagers that Colloredo will be unable to seduce the beautiful Giacinta (Lida Baarova). It so happens that Giacinta's wily husband Zubaran (Willy Birgel) overhears the wager, thereby setting in motion a counter-wager that will ultimately result in Colloredo's downfall. The ultimate winner in these sordid surroundings is Giacinta, who is never made aware that she has become a pawn in a dirty game of sexual one-upmanship. Though set in Venice, Baracole was shot entirely within the confines of Germany's UFA studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lida Baarova, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1935
Julien Duvivier's most controversial production to date, 1935's Golgotha is an ambitious and expensive retelling of the Last Days of Jesus. Robert le Vigan plays the Son of God, but as often happens in films of this nature he is upstaged by the villains, Herod (Harry Baur), Pontius Pilate (Jean Gabin) and Judas (Lucas Gridoux). All of Jesus' dialogue is taken directly from the Scriptures, with no movie-style adornments: le Vigan delivers these lines with sincerity and quiet grace. Considering the anti-Semitism prevalent in Europe during the 1930s, the question of the Jews' responsibility for Jesus' death is handled with restraint; blame is squarely laid on the shoulders of a handful of conspirators, rather than an entire race. A throwback to the religious films that Duvivier had made during the silent era, Golgotha may seem a bit old-fashioned and stilted when seen today: one contemporary reviewer has likened the film to a display of picture post-cards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Baur, Robert Le Vigan, (more)
- 1935
As the title indicates, the central "character" in this German drama is a Stradivarius violin. Somehow or other, the instrument continually brings bad luck to its owner, Hungarian military officer Teleky (Pierre Richard Wilm). Hoping to make a living as a musician after WWI, Teleky is forced to give up this dream when he is wounded on the battlefield. Adding insult to injury, his doctor (Jean Galland) falls in love with Teleky's sweetheart! Apparently figuring that our hero needs at least one break, the doctor gallantly steps aside, allow Teleky and his girl to enjoy a happy ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Pierre Richard-Willm, (more)
- 1936
Filmed in 1936 as Mr. Flow, this Robert Siodmak production was based on a novel by Gaston Leroux. Set in summertime Paris, the labyrinthine plotline is set in motion by the title character, a gentleman safecracker played by Louis Jouvet. To recount the entire plotline would require a dictionary-sized synopsis, but its essence can be captured in a single sentence: the clever Mr. Flow is finally outmaneuvered by his beautiful but chronically unfaithful mistress, Lady Helena Scarlett (Edwidge Feuillere). At the time of the film's release, Robert Siodmak was brought to task by critics who felt that the director was trying too hard to imitate Ernst Lubitsch. Such an accusation could never be levelled against Siodmak's Hollywood films, which relied heavily upon horror and melodrama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Mila Parély, (more)
- 1937
Marthe Richard (Edwige Feuillere) has grown up despising the memory of German army officer Von Ludow (Erich von Stroheim), who ordered the execution of Marthe's mother and father. Years later, Marthe offers her services as a secret agent on behalf of France. Dispatched to Spain, she once more crosses the path of Von Ludow, now in charge of the German secret service. Not recognizing the heroine, Von Ludow finds himself falling in love with her. Upon learning that he's been tricked by Marthe into betraying his country, the old soldier does the honorable thing by committing suicide -- and such is the power of Erich Von Stroheim's performance that the audience by now is on his side. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Erich Von Stroheim, (more)
- 1938
Edwige Feuillere stars as a glamorous "adventuriere" whose specialty is passing of phony jewels as the genuine article to her gullible male companions. Her partners in crime are Jean Max and Jean Tissier, rather likeable fellows despite their larcenous souls. Eventually, Feuillere parts company with Max and Tissier when she falls in love with one of her intended victims, Jean Murat. Intending to go straight, our heroine must first contend with her ex-partners, who now have blackmail on their minds. J'Etais une Adventuriere was remade by 20th Century-Fox in 1941 as I Was an Adventuress, with Vera Zorina as the protagonist, Erich von Stroheim and Peter Lorre as her criminal cohorts, and Richard Greene as her handsome sweetheart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Marguerite Moreno, (more)
- 1939
Sans Lendeman (Without Tomorrow) was Max Ophuls' first directorial endeavor since 1938's Werther. Edwige Feuillere stars as a night club hostess with a shady past, whose sole reason for living is her adopted baby. But she is denied even this balm when ex-lover Georges Rigaud comes back into her life. Complicating matters is the presence of slimy blackmailer Georges Lannes, who intends to capitalize on Feuillere's misery. Fatalistic in the extreme, Sans Lendeman is given life by the eye-popping camera trickery of Max Ophuls, whose love affair with tracking shots reaches orgasmic dimensions. The unexpectedly moralistic ending may have been added merely to appease American audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edwige Feuillère, Pauline Carton, (more)
- 1940
Director Max Ophuls managed to get three productions before the cameras in 1940, the best of which was De Mayerling a Sarajevo. In his characteristic pageant-like fashion, Ophuls traces the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire by spiritually linking the tragic 19th century romance of Crown Duke Rudolph and Baroness Maria Veretsa to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the subsequent outbreak of WW1. According to the film, Ferninand (played by American actor John Lodge) was no slouch in the romantic department himself; but unlike his predecessor Rudolph, the Archduke is permitted to marry his mistress (Edwige Feuilliere), who thereby becomes the Duchess of Hohenberg. Mistrusted by his aristocratic peers because of his progressively democratic notions, Ferdinand seems destined to be martyred at the hands of his enemies, in much the same way that Rudolph's non-royal impulses brought about his demise. One of Ophuls' favorite cinematic devices, the "court dance", is cunningly utilized in De Mayerling a Sarajevo when the lovers are prevented from attending a palace ball, symbolizing the irreparable schism between the modernistic Ferdinand and the hidebound Hapsburgs-and also presaging the deaths of the Archduke and his Duchess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lodge, Aimé Clariond, (more)
