Madeleine Ozeray Movies
- 1935
This French filmization of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment stars Pierre Blanchar as sociopathic student Raskolnikov and Harry Baur as humanist detective Porfiry. Believing himself intellectually above the law, Raskolnikov kills a despicable old shopkeeper. He is certain that he has no conscience to bother him, but he is eventually forced to confront himself by the kindly but diligent Porfiry. The like-vintage Hollywood version of Crime and Punishment ended with Raskolnikov's surrender. The French version (original title: Crime et Chatiment) adheres to the original novel, detailing the student's lifelong search for forgiveness after he is released from prison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Baur, Pierre Blanchar, (more)
- 1933
Dans le Rue (Song of the Streets) was based on a novel by J. H. Rosny. In anecdotal fashion, the film charts the progress of a gang of Parisian street youths, headed by Jacques (Jean-Pierre Aumont). Living for the moment and by his wits, Jacques assumes that anything he wants is there for the taking. This proves not to be true in the case of Rosalie (Madeleine Ozeray), daughter of neighborhood "fence" Schlamp (Vladimir Sokolff). Jacques is forced to fight another young tough for Rosalie's affections, winning the bout and the girl all at once. But all bad things must come to an end, as Jacques discovers when one of his robbery victims dies of heart failure, forcing his gang to hide out from the relentless gendarmes. Hardly a pleasant film, Dans le Rue is undeniably compelling, with a forceful performance by Jean-Pierre Aumont in one of his first important roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Pierre Aumont, Madeleine Ozeray, (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)
- 1937
La Dame de Pique is the first talkie version of the frequently filmed Alexander Pushkin parable The Queen of Spades. Pierre Blanchar stars as Hermann, an officer in the Russian army whose chronic gambling brings him in contact with a wealthy old countess (Marguerite Moreno) known as "La Dame de Pique." Fascinated by the countess' incredible luck at the gaming tables, Hermann is determined to learn her secret. With the help of the old woman's niece (Madeleine Ozeray), Hermann gains access to the Countess's boudoir and tries to romance the secret out of her. When this fails, he produces a gun and demands that she tell all -- whereupon the Countess falls dead from a heart attack. From this point on, Hermann's own doom is sealed. The most famous version of the Pushkin original was filmed 12 years later, with Anton Walbrook as the foolhardy protagonist and Edith Evans as the enigmatic Queen of Spades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marguerite Moreno, Madeleine Ozeray, (more)
- 1939
This poignant drama peeks in at the lives and relationships between elderly thespians living in an actors' retirement home. The home is almost bankrupt and so the actors must support themselves. The residents include a faded sex symbol, an intellectual actor who kept a great distance between himself and the audience, and a depressed thespian who tries to conceal the fact that he was only an understudy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Simon, Madeleine Ozeray, (more)
- 1975
Old Gun (Le Vieux Fusil) stars Philippe Noiret as an aging, embittered French physician. During the occupation, Noiret loses his wife and daughter to Nazi bullets. He vows to personally kill every one of the Germans responsible (along with a few who weren't) in order to assuage his grief. Romy Schneider and Jean Bousse costar in this heart rending character study. Philippe Noiret was justifiably honored with the French Cesar Award for his towering performance in Old Gun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Romy Schneider, (more)
- 1973
Two lonely young men rebelling against their middle-class backgrounds become friends in this French drama. Both of them are named Larry, which becomes a joke between them. Larry I (Bruno Pradal) can only stare in awe at the deadly pranks of Larry II (Didier Haudepin). When Larry II looks like he might abandon Larry I by leaving with a girl he has met, Larry I kills the girl and then himself ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Didier Haudepin
- 1937
Director Felix Gadera also scripted this cinemadaptation of Eugene Sue's steamy novel Les Mysteres de Paris. Henri Rolan stars as Count Rodolphe, who while slumming in the "Thieves Quarter" of Paris makes the acquaintance of pretty Marie (Madeleine Ozeray). The Count falls in love with the girl, never suspecting that she is actually his illegitimate daughter. He later rescues her from a kidnapper, subjecting himself to all sorts of slimy horrors in the Parisian sewers. Once he learns Marie's true identity, the Count "does right" by the girl, while Marie's mother (Lucienne La Marchand), who turns out to be the villain of the piece, skulks away into the darkness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Ozeray, Henri Rollan, (more)
Liliom, Ferenc Molnar's bittersweet fantasy play, was first filmed in Hollywood in 1930, with Charles Farrell as ne'er-do-well carnival barker Liliom and Rose Hobart as his long-suffering wife Julie. While that version is not available for public viewing, the 1935 French-language version directed by Fritz Lang and starring Charles Boyer is currently being offered by several home-video warehouses--albeit in an undubbed, unsubtitled print. Boyer plays Liliom, who runs the carousel at a Budapest amusement park. He impulsively quits his job when he falls in love with mill-worker Julie (Madeleine Ozeray). A terrible husband and provider, Liliom panics when he discovers he's about to become a father. He enters into a get-rich-quick robbery scheme with his unsavory pal Alfred (Alcover), but the plan goes awry. Rather than allow himself to be arrested, Liliom kills himself, whereupon his soul is transported via an art-deco express train to the waiting room of Heaven. A celestial judge determines that Liliom will not get his wings until he returns to earth to do one good deed. Liliom materializes before his now-teenaged daughter, and tries to give her a star that he's stolen from heaven; when she panics, he impulsively slaps her. Considering himself a failure, Liliom wearily heads for Purgatory, but a coda shows that his visit has done a world of good for both his widow and his daughter. Liliom was later musicalized by Rodgers & Hammerstein as Carousel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Ozeray, Charles Boyer, (more)
