Serge de Poligny Movies

Coup de Feu a L'Aube was the simultaneously filmed French-language version of the German crime caper Schuss im Morgengrauen (The Shot at Dawn). Both films were based on The Woman and the Emerald, a play by Harry Jenkins. The protagonists are a gang of jewel thieves, who have been successfully able to cover their tracks for a long time. Alas, their winning streak comes to a sudden screeching halt when one of their number makes the mistake of murdering a police detective. The essential difference between the French and German versions is that the police officers depicted on-screen wear different costumes. Otherwise, all the exterior shots, crowd scenes and action highlights in Schuss im Morgengrauen were re-cycled for Coup de Feu a L'Aube. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The French comedy team of Drean and Pauley stars in the racetrack comedy Les as du Turf (Aces of the Turf). The boys play a pair of dimwitted gamblers who impulsively bet on a long shot, thereby winning a huge sum of money. They decide to continue pressing their luck by buying the selfsame longshot, a broken-down nag with dim prospects. This being a movie instead of real life, the horse manages to win the climactic Big Race, and everybody lives happier ever after. Filmed in 1931, Les as Du Turf didn't make it to the U.S. until 1935. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

L'Or is the French-language version of the simultaneously filmed German melodrama Gold. Brigitte Helm repeats her leading-lady role of Fronce Wills, but the alchemist Maisslot, originally played by Friedrich Kayssler, is herein portrayed by Jacques Dumesnil, while his assistant Berthier, enacted by Hans Albers in Gold, is essayed by Jean Gabin in the French version. Maisslot and Berthier perfect an atomic reactor (20,000,000 volts of power!) for the purpose of manufacturing gold, which is highly coveted by the villains. When the scientists realize that their invention will ruin the world's economy, they set about to destroy it, setting the stage for a near-apocalyptic climax. The original Gold was directed by Charles Hartl, who served as a consultant when Serge De Poligny occupied the director's chair for L'Or. Stock footage from both versions were later utilized in the 1953 Ivan Tors production Magnetic Monster. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jean Cocteau wrote the dialogue for this acclaimed and atmospheric tale of the supernatural, in which he also plays a small role. When a baron suddenly vanishes from his estate, his friends and family organize a search party to find him, little realizing that what they're chasing is in fact a ghost. A major box-office success in Europe upon its initial release, Le Baron Fantome stars Odette Joyeux and Jany Holt. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi