Edith Mera Movies
- 1932
Milady is the sequel to director Henri Diamant-Berger's The Three Musketeers and is every bit as lavish as its predecessor. Now that D'Artagnan (Aimee Simon-Girard) and his fellow Musketeers have saved their beloved Queen Anne (Andree Lafayette) from disgrace, they must fend off the vengeance-seeking Milady de Winter (Edith Mara), the chief confederate of the power-hungry Cardinal Richelieu (Samon Fainsliber). The culmination of Milady's vitriolic villainy is her murder of D'Artagnan's sweetheart Constance (Blanche Montel). Ultimately, Milady pays for her crimes, the Cardinal is foiled, and the Musketeers emerge triumphant. In some European markets, Three Musketeers and Milady were run in tandem as a four-hour feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blanche Montel, Edith Mera, (more)
- 1932
Heroine Miche (Suzy Vernon), short for Micheline, is in love with Jacques (Robert Burnier), a young painter. Jacques, a man of no commitments, keeps his distance from Miche, preferring to carry on affairs with married women. That's why Miche pretends to be the wife of Monsieur Demaze (Demain), a stuffy provincial lawyer. The rest of the film consists of the efforts by the hero and heroine to make each other jealous as "proof" of their undying love. Though purportedly set in Switzerland, Miche was filmed at Paramount's French studios in Joinville. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Vernon, Marguerite Moreno, (more)
- 1932
Criez-Le Sur Les Toits (Shout It From Housetops) was the French-language version of the 1931 Paramount comedy It Pays to Advertise. Saint Granier assumes the old Norman Foster role as the son of autocratic soap manufacturer Pauley (in the role originally played by Eugene Pallette). To prove his value to his father -- and himself -- Granier successfully promotes an entirely fictitious soap product, forcing Pauley to bargain with Granier on the boy's terms. Simone Heliard co-stars as the loving secretary who helps our hero succeed in his goal; in the original It Pays to Advertise, this part was essayed by Carole Lombard. Criez-Le Sur Les Toits was the popular Saint Granier's final film on his Paramount contract. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Burnier, Paul Pauley, (more)
- 1932
Filmed by Paramount's Paris facilities in 1932, Une Etoile Disparait (A Star Vanishes) was not released in the U.S. until 1934. A murder mystery set in a film studio, this fast-paced meller stars Suzy Vernon as Rosine, an American gal trying to break into pictures. Rosine finds herself one of several murder suspects, all of them well-fortified with motive and opportunity. To keep the audience alert, a number of prominent (and unbilled) French film favorites make cameo appearances. Une Etoile Disparait was directed by Robert Wyler, brother of celebrated American filmmaker William Wyler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Vernon, Constant Remy, (more)
- 1931
Un Soir de Rafle (Dragnet Night) details the rise and fall of headstrong prizefighter Georget (Albert Prejean). Upon winning the championship title, Georget forgets himself and spends a bacchanalian evening with a sexy adventuress. He squanders all his money and time on this new conquest, utterly forgetting his childhood sweetheart. Inevitably, he washes out in the boxing ring, a by-product not only of his new hedonistic lifestyle but also of his decision to dump his faithful manager in favor of a crooked one. Only when he gets the stuffings knocked out of him does Georget come to his senses and return to the people in his life who truly matter. Carmine Gallone directed from a screenplay by Henri Decoin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabella, Albert Prejean, (more)
- 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
- 1931
Based on the Parisian stage musical of the same name, Arthur stars Boucot as the title character, a prosperous beauty consultant. Arthur is unaware that his loving wife is fooling around behind his back with another man. On the verge of being discovered, the lover claims to be the sweetheart of Arthur's ugly-duckling cousin. Sure enough, the duckling becomes a gorgeous swan under Arthur's tutelage, whereupon the "other man" falls in love with the girl for real, freeing Arthur's wife to return to her husband. Much of Arthur was filmed in the resort community of Juan les Pins, shown to excellent advantage in the closing scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lily Zevaco, Edith Mera, (more)
