Albert Prejean Movies
A former WWI flying ace, French actor Albert Prejean is best known for playing heroes in the silent films of Rene Clair. Before entering the military, Prejean had worked as a nightclub entertainer and acrobat. His popularity in film began to wane after the advent of sound and he spent the rest of his career appearing in average-quality mainstream films. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1943
Andre Cayatte's Shop Girls of Paris was originally released in 1943 as Au Bonheur des Dames. Adapted from a novel by Emile Zola, the story is a surprisingly contemporary one. When the first major department store is established in Paris, everyone is delighted -- everyone except the Mom-and-Pop store owners, who predict (quite rightly, as it turns out) that they'll soon be put out of business. The film concentrates on the plight of one elderly shopkeeper (Michel Simon) and his orphaned niece (Blanchette Brunoy), who, lacking a steady source of income, goes to work for the larger store. Some critics have likened Shop Girls of Paris to Orson Welles' similarly elegiac The Magnificent Ambersons, though Cayatte's film has a more blatantly tragic denouement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blanchette Brunoy, Suzy Prim, (more)
- 1961
Popular American actor on the European scene, Eddie Constantine has a role that is slightly out of character for him. Instead of the usual, slightly ironic treatment of a tough guy out to fight gangsters, drug-runners, and other types from the demi-monde of crime, he is Charlie, a man sent up against a serious Nazi war criminal. Charlie has done well for himself but when a close friend asks him to track down the Nazi in Athens, he takes on the job -- his friend's brother was a victim of the Nazi during the war. Charlie runs into the usual resistance and soon finds that the Nazi's philosophy and arrogance have hit closer to home than what he thought. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Constantine, Carla Marlier, (more)
- 1932
Chant du Marin (Sailor's Song) stars Albert Prejean as a happy-go-luck seafarer who'd rather sing than work -- or be faithful to his wife. Prejean and his sailor pal Jim Gerald decide to cheat on their spouses by frequenting the dives and joints in every town where their ship drops anchor. The boys are certain, however, that their wives would never behave in a similar fashion. Upon returning home, of course, Prejean and Gerald discover that their better halves are just as sexually irresponsible as their hubbies. The American Variety reviewer noted marked similarities between Chant du Marin and the "Marseilles" films of Marcel Pagnol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginette Gaubert, Albert Prejean, (more)
- 1936
Marcel Carne's first film as director -- one of seven collaborations with screenwriter Jacques Prevert -- was this average crime story. Francoise Rosay stars as Jenny, who manages a sleazy nightclub owned by the nasty Benoit (Charles Vanel). Jenny runs afoul of Benoit, as well as her own daughter (Lisette Lanvin), when she becomes romantically involved with gangster Lucien (Albert Prejean). Miffed, Benoit and his thuggish hunchbacked assistant (Jean-Louis Barrault) try to break up the lovers while Jenny's daughter competes for Lucien's affections. Carne had previously been an assistant to director Jacques Feyder, so it should come as no surprise that his first solo assignment starred Rosay, Feyder's real-life wife. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Vanel, Françoise Rosay, (more)
- 1945
L'Assassin n'est pa Comable translates as The Murderer is Not Guilty -- a seemingly paradoxical title, but perfectly true within context of the story. Jules Berry plays a famous film star whose latest production is plagued with bad luck. Eventually a murder is committed on the set, and the most likely suspected is arrested. Berry believes that the "killer" is innocent, and decides to play detective to prove it. Of interest is the fact that the story unfolds in its entirety at a movie studio, thereby saving the producers the cost of building sets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Gauthier, Rosine Derean, (more)
- 1938
Inconnue de Monte Carlo (Unknown of Monte Carlo) centers around heroine Dita Parlo, accomplice of clever cardsharp Jules Berry. Falling in love with playboy Claude Lehmann, Parlo tries to dissuade Berry from fleecing Lehmann's wealthy brother Albert Prejean. It's something of a dual regeneration: Parlo turns honest, while Lehmann becomes a responsible member of society. The only person who doesn't come out the better for the experience is Berry, who after being betrayed by everyone around him rather understandably blows his brains out. The film's genuine Monte Carlo locations are rather more interesting than the film itself. Inconnue de Monte Carlo was simultaneously filmed in an Italian-language version, directed by Mario Soldati. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dita Parlo, Albert Prejean, (more)
- 1939
L'Or du Cristobal is based on the novel by A. T. Sersteven. Albert Prejean plays the first mate of the French freighter Cristobal when he's suspected of carrying on with Dita Parlo, the wife of the ship's captain. Once on dry land, Prejean is informed by cabaret dancer Conchita Montenegro that the Cristobal carries a priceless secret cargo of gold. In concert with corrupt police official Charles Vanel, Prejean plots to divest the freighter of its wealth, but the two conspirators eventually fall out thanks to the treacherous Montenegro. Director Jacques Becker also contributed to the screenplay of L'Or du Cristobal without credit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dita Parlo, Conchita Montenegro, (more)
- 1934
Released abroad as The Slump is Over, this backstage comedy pokes gentle fun at the Depression-era French bourgeoisie. Director Robert Siodmak concentrates on the trials and tribulations of a young and impoverished theatrical troupe. Recently fired by their temperamental leading lady, the actors defiantly draw up plans to put on a show themselves. To raise the necessary funds and obtain props, costumes, electrical supplies and the like, the girls in the troupe adopt the tactics of Warner Bros. golddiggers, targeting a number of middle-class businessmen and shopkeepers as their pigeons. As a result, the film's "Big show" finale isn't nearly as entertaining as the various methods adopted to get that show on stage. Critics in 1935 were much taken by star Danielle Darrieux, predicting that she might have a future in Hollywood if she'd learn to speak English (She did, and the result was the delightful 1938 Universal comedy The Rage of Paris). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Darrieux, Albert Prejean, (more)
