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- 1938
Based on a story by Hugo Bettauer, La Rue Sans Joie is a remake of German director G.W. Pabst's silent classic The Joyless Street. Dita Parlo essays the old Greta Garbo role as Jean de Romer, daughter of an impoverished Viennese professor. To keep food on her family's table, Jean is willing to make any sacrifice, which leads inexorably to a life of prostitution. The subsequent courtroom finale, wherein Jean is on trial for the murder of slimy gigolo Louis Stinno (Valery Inkijoff), is the film's dramatic highlight. Matching Dita Parlo's stunning performance are Marguerite Deval as a cold-hearted madam and Albert Prejean as a callous capitalist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dita Parlo, Marguerite Deval, (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)
- 1938
Hatred was originally released in France in 1938 under the title Mollenard. Harry Baur stars as Captain Mollenard, skipper of cargo ship who returns from a trip to China to the "loving" arms of his despicable, castrating wife (Gabrielle Dorziat). During his absence, Mme. Mollenard has raised her two children to hate their father as much as she does. When the Captain is felled by a paralytic stroke, his wife's vitriol reaches hitherto unscaled heights. Bearing traces of August Strindberg's Dance of Death (though Strindberg didn't include Eurasian prostitutes in his opening scenes!), Hatred was coadapted by O. P. Gilbert from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Baur, Gabrielle Dorziat, (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)
Princesse Tam-Tam is a must-see for fans of legendary African-American entertainer Josephine Baker. Shunned by lily-white Hollywood, Baker made a name for herself in France as a cabaret entertainer, frequently comporting in the nude--all the while letting the audience know she didn't take herself, or anything else, too seriously. Princesse Tam-Tam is a satirical spin on the "Pygamalion" concept: An uninhibited African girl (Baker) poses as a serene Indian princess, through the auspices of author Albert Prejean. A romance develops between the two (a plot device expressly forbidden by Hollywood's rules against miscegenation on screen), while Prejean's unfaithful wife fumes. Written by Josephine Baker's then-husband Pepito Abatino, the French/Tunisian Princesse Tam-Tam was banned outright in the States; thanks to videotape, it is now more accessible than ever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josephine Baker, Germaine Aussey, (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)
