Pierre Larquey Movies
- 1937
The Citadel of Silence is set in Poland in the years just before WWI. Involved in an abortive insurrection against the occupying Russians, hero Cesar Birsky (Bernard Lancret) is sentenced to a prison where the inmates are never permitted to speak (hence the film's title). Birsky's sweetheart Viana (Annabella) is so anxious to stay close to her lover that she is willing to become the bride of the prison commandant (Pierre Renoir). All loose plot ends are tied up when Birsky spearheads a mass escape from the Citadel of Silence. It is likely that this entertaining but unremarkable film might never have been released in the U.S. had it not been for the recent marriage of its leading lady Annabella to Hollywood's Tyrone Power. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Renoir, Annabella, (more)
- 1937
Mademoiselle Ma Mere was adapted for the screen from the stage farce by Louis Verneuil. The title translates as My Mother is a Miss, and thereby hangs the tale. Spoiled rich girl Jacqueline (Danielle Darrieux) vows to marry the seventh man who proposes to her, no matter who he may be. The lucky seventh is Albert Letournel (Alerme), who is old enough to be Jacqueline's father. True to her word, she marries Albert, but only after securing his promise that it will be a sexless union. The fun begins when Jacqueline falls in love with Albert's grown son Georges (Pierre Brasseur), who balks at the notion of romancing his own stepmother. As Jacqueline's rich daddy, Michel Simon watches the screwy goings-on with silent confusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Darrieux, Pierre Brasseur, (more)
- 1936
In this comedy that takes a sharp poke at problems within the medical profession, Dr. Knock opens a practice in a small village. He buys it from a conniving old physician who thinks he really duped the earnest young medic. The young doc is not so easily fooled. Using a wide variety of modern equipment and fancy doctor talk, he soon scares the ignorant villagers into believing that they are all very sick with a wide assortment of strange illnesses. His ruse works and soon his practice is booming. The old doc is shocked. He returns to the village to expose the young quack. Unfortunately after listening to the silver-tongued medic, the older man is convinced that he too is terribly ill. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jouvet, Palau, (more)
- 1936
One of the earliest French color films, La Terre qui Meurt (The Land That Dies) tells the story of farmer Luminau (Pierre Larquey) and his restless offspring. Hoping to keep his sons and daughters home with him so that they can eventually take over his farm, Luminau is both angered and disillusioned when they leave him one by one. The story then goes off in several tangents, detailing the hardships (and occasional triumphs) facing Luminau's progeny as they assert their independence. The most tragic of the subplots concerns the farmer's daughter Felicite (Germaine Sablon), who is ultimately forced into a life of prostitution. The Francia Color process tends to blur the images, but nothing can dull the edge of the film's poignancy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Line Noro, Simone Bourday, (more)
- 1936
Its title translates as Record 413, but Disque 413 is actually the French-language version of the British Guilty Melody. Singing star Gitta Alper repeats her role as opera diva La Salvini, who falls in love with British intelligence agent Richard Maury (Jules Berry, replacing the English version's John Loder). She is confronted by her despicable husband (Larquery), who threatens to ruin her career unless La Salvini does his bidding. He forces her to make a phonograph record containing a secret code message intended for the Enemy. For a while, the British secret service think that our heroine is a musical Mata Hari, but all is set right in the final moments. Both Guilty Melody and Disque 13 are based on a novel by Hans Rehfisch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gitta Alpar, Gaby Basset, (more)
- 1936
The "une femme" (one woman) of the title is a young widow (Vera Korene). Upon discovering that her late husband was far from faithful, the woman decides to make up for all the fun she missed out on in life. She invites the "sept hommes" (seven men) who have been her most ardent suitors for a weekend of "fun and games" at her lavish chateau. Once the seven have arrived, however, the widow realizes that she has eyes only for one: her childhood sweetheart, an impoverished nobleman (Fernand Gravey). For the record, the remaining six suitors include a gigolo (Roger Duquesne), a self-made businessman (Pierre Larquey), a writer (Felix Oudart) and a bureaucrat (Saturin-Fabre). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Korene, Fernand Gravey, (more)
- 1936
In this espionage romance, a French spy and a German agent fall in love and marry. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Murat, Vera Korene, (more)
- 1935
Released in the U.S. as Happy Days, Les Beaux Jours was Simone Simon's last French vehicle before she launched the Hollywood phase of her career. The story revolves around the lives and loves of a group of attractive young Parisian students. The most attractive, of course, is our girl Simon, who is wooed by such eligible males as Raymond Rouleau and Jean-Pierre Aumont. The unexpected star of the proceedings, however, is the brilliant pantomimist Jean-Louis Barrault, whose first film this was. Barrault of course was later the star of the wartime classic Les Enfants du Paradis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Barrault, Simone Simon, (more)
